Tarantella

Anton Romako prints bring the restless, psychologically intense art of a lonely Viennese painter into your home. Romako was an Austrian painter of portraits, genre scenes and landscapes whose unusual style was out of step with his time and was revived after his death. Our collection of fine art prints covers his portraits, Italian and alpine scenes and history paintings.

About Anton Romako

Anton Romako was born in Atzgersdorf, near Vienna, on 20 October 1832, the illegitimate son of a factory owner and his Czech housemaid. He studied at the Vienna Academy from 1847 to 1849, where his teacher Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller thought him talentless, then in Munich under Wilhelm Kaulbach, and privately in Vienna with Carl Rahl, whose style he adopted.

From 1854 he travelled in Italy and Spain, and in 1857 settled in Rome, where he became the favourite portrait, genre and landscape painter of the foreign community. In 1862 he married Sophie Köbel; they had five children before she left him in 1875.

In 1876 he returned to Vienna, but could not establish himself against the fashionable style of Hans Makart and came to depend on patrons such as Count Kuefstein. He travelled to Hungary, Italy and France, and in 1882–84 divided his time between Paris and Geneva. The suicide of two of his daughters in 1887 devastated him. He died in poverty near Vienna on 8 March 1889. After his death the collector Oskar Reichel did much to revive his reputation.

Style and Subjects

Romako's mature portraits are tense and searching, with elongated figures, nervous hands and wide, anxious eyes, painted in cool colours. His history paintings, such as Tegetthoff at the Battle of Lissa, show heroes not in triumph but in moments of strain.

He also painted charming Italian genre scenes, children, dancers and Alpine views, especially of Gastein, often with unusual lighting and a slightly dreamlike quality.

Famous Works

• The Stubborn Donkey (1856), Belvedere, Vienna. An early genre scene.
• Wildbad Gastein in the Evening (with Bengal lights) (1877), Belvedere, Vienna. The spa town lit by fireworks at night.
• Tegetthoff at the Naval Battle of Lissa. The Austrian admiral on deck in the heat of battle.
• Friends (1881), Belvedere, Vienna. A tender double portrait.
• Empress Elisabeth with a St Bernard (1883), Belvedere, Vienna. The empress beside her large dog, an unusual royal portrait.
• Greillenstein Castle (1885), Leopold Museum, Vienna. A Lower Austrian castle.
• Portrait of Isabella Reisser (1885), Leopold Museum, Vienna. A searching portrait of a young woman.
• Salon Interior (1887), Wien Museum, Vienna. An elegant Viennese room.

Decorating with Romako Prints

Romako's Italian genre scenes, like Tarantella, bring warm colour to a living room or hallway, and his Gastein views suit a cabin or alpine-style room.

His portraits are striking in a study or library, especially in modern interiors where their tension and cool colour can stand out.

FAQ

Who was Anton Romako?

Anton Romako (1832–1889) was an Austrian painter of portraits, genre scenes and landscapes, little appreciated in his lifetime but promoted after his death by the collector Oskar Reichel.

Why did Romako struggle in Vienna?

When he returned in 1876, Viennese taste was dominated by the lavish style of Hans Makart, and his own nervous, unconventional work found few buyers.

What is Romako's most famous painting?

Tegetthoff at the Naval Battle of Lissa and his portrait of Empress Elisabeth with a St Bernard are among his best-known works.

Where can I see Romako's paintings?

The Belvedere, the Leopold Museum and the Wien Museum in Vienna hold major works.

Related Artists

• Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller: his teacher in Vienna
• Carl Rahl: Viennese painter whose style he adopted
• Hans Makart: the fashionable painter who overshadowed him
• Egon Schiele: later Viennese painter of nervous, expressive portraits