The Piazza San Marco

Rudolf von Alt prints bring the streets, churches and palaces of old Vienna, the canals of Venice and the lakes of the Austrian Alps into your home. Alt was the great Austrian master of watercolour, whose detailed, light-filled views span almost the whole of the 19th century. Our collection of fine art prints covers his views of Vienna and Austrian towns, travels in Italy and Central Europe, alpine landscapes and interiors.

About Rudolf von Alt

Rudolf Alt was born in Vienna on 28 August 1812, the son of the lithographer Jakob Alt and brother of the painter Franz Alt. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Walking trips through the Austrian Alps and northern Italy gave him a love of landscape, and a visit to Venice in 1833 led him to paint architecture too.

He travelled widely: Rome and Naples, the Lombard lakes, Galicia, Bohemia, Dalmatia and Bavaria, and many more trips to Italy. In 1863 he went to the Crimea to paint views of an estate of the empress, and in 1867 to Sicily. He was knighted in 1889, becoming Rudolf Ritter von Alt.

Remarkably long-lived, he went on working into old age. He died in Vienna on 12 March 1905. The Albertina in Vienna has held retrospectives of his work, and the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich holds more than 600 of his works.

Style and Subjects

Alt painted mainly in watercolour, with a realistic, finely detailed style and a remarkable feel for the colour of the sky, the tone of the air and the hues of vegetation. His views of buildings are precise but full of light and life, often choosing unusual angles or everyday corners.

He was also a fine painter of interiors. His later works grew looser and brighter, moving closer to Impressionism.

Famous Works

• View of St Charles's Church and the Polytechnic Institute (1831), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. An early view of the Karlskirche in Vienna.
• St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna (1832), Belvedere, Vienna. Vienna's great Gothic cathedral, painted at twenty.
• View of the Strada Nuova and the Giardini Pubblici, Venice (1834), Belvedere, Vienna. A Venetian view from his first visits to the city.
• The Pantheon and the Piazza della Rotonda in Rome (1835), Albertina, Vienna. Rome's ancient temple in clear light.
• Lake Hallstatt (1845). The alpine lake and village in the Salzkammergut.
• View of the Alservorstadt (1872), Albertina, Vienna. A Vienna suburb seen from above.
• Courtyard of Kraków University (1876). The arcaded courtyard of the old university.
• Self-Portrait (1890), Wien Museum, Vienna. The artist in his late seventies.

Decorating with Alt Prints

Alt's watercolours of Vienna, like Stephansplatz, make a handsome group for a hallway, study or living room, and suit traditional and Central European interiors. They are a lovely reminder of a trip to Vienna, Salzburg or Venice.

His alpine lakes and mountain pastures bring fresh light to a bedroom or cabin-style room, and his interiors suit a library.

FAQ

Who was Rudolf von Alt?

Rudolf von Alt (1812–1905) was an Austrian landscape and architectural painter, celebrated for his detailed watercolours of Vienna and his travels.

What did Rudolf von Alt paint?

Mainly city views, buildings and interiors, especially of Vienna, as well as alpine landscapes and views from his travels to Italy, the Crimea and across Central Europe.

How did Rudolf von Alt's style change?

His early work is realistic and finely detailed; his later works came closer to Impressionism, with looser, brighter handling.

Where can I see Rudolf von Alt's work?

The Albertina, the Belvedere and the Wien Museum in Vienna, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich and the Metropolitan Museum of Art hold his work.

Related Artists

• Jakob Alt: his father, a lithographer and painter
• Franz Alt: his brother, also a painter of views
• Thomas Ender: fellow Viennese watercolourist of landscapes
• Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller: leading Viennese painter of the same era
• Tina Blau: Viennese landscape painter who portrayed him on his deathbed