Venetian Melody (1910)

Eugen von Blaas prints bring the colour, sunlight and charm of Venice into your home. Blaas was an Italian painter of the Academic Classicism school, famous for his pretty young Venetian women chatting at wells, carrying water, flirting on balconies and reading love letters. Our collection of fine art prints includes his Venetian beauties, genre scenes, portraits and seaside pictures.

About Eugen von Blaas

Eugen von Blaas, also known as Eugene de Blaas or Eugenio Blaas, was born on 24 July 1843 at Albano, near Rome. His father, Karl von Blaas, was a Tyrolean painter and his first teacher; his mother, Agnesina Auda, came from a well-to-do Roman family.

The family moved to Venice when Karl became a professor at the Venice Academy, and Eugen spent most of his life there. He painted Venetian scenes, portraits and religious pictures, and became a favourite portraitist of the Venetian aristocracy.

His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Fine Art Society and the New Gallery in London and at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, and his Venetian genre scenes sold widely to collectors abroad. Among his students was the Austrian painter Marie Wunsch. He died in Venice on 10 February 1931.

Style and Subjects

Blaas's paintings are bright, polished and full of charm. His young women, often in Venetian working dress with colourful shawls and headscarves, are shown with smiling faces and graceful gestures, in sunlit courtyards, at wells, on balconies and by canals.

He also painted grand historical costume scenes of Venetian society in silks and satins, and in contrast, delicate pastels and etchings of the courtyards and canals of modern Venice.

Famous Works

• A Venetian Beauty (1865). An early portrait of a young Venetian woman.
• On the Balcony (1877). A colourful period scene of Venetian society.
• Ninetta (1887). A young Venetian woman, praised by critics for its polish and charm.
• The Love Letter (1887). A young woman absorbed in a letter.
• A Good Catch (1894). Young people with a basket of fish by the water.
• On the Beach (1908). A sunny seaside scene from his later years.
• In the Water (1914). A young woman wading in the water, one of his best-known images.

Decorating with Blaas Prints

Blaas's sunny Venetian scenes suit living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms, bringing Italian warmth to soft cream, terracotta or blue walls. A print such as The Love Letter or The Watercarrier looks lovely in a gilt or warm wood frame.

His seaside pictures, such as In the Water and On the Beach, suit bathrooms, sunrooms and holiday homes, and a group of his Venetian beauties makes a charming gallery wall along a hallway.

FAQ

Who was Eugen von Blaas?

Eugen von Blaas, also known as Eugene de Blaas, was an Italian painter who lived from 1843 to 1931. He is best known for his genre scenes of young women in Venice.

What art movement was Eugen von Blaas part of?

He belonged to Academic Classicism, painting in a polished, detailed academic style.

Who taught Eugen von Blaas?

His father, the Tyrolean painter Karl von Blaas, who became a professor at the Venice Academy, was his teacher.

Where was Blaas's work exhibited?

He showed at the Royal Academy, the Fine Art Society, the New Gallery and Arthur Tooth and Sons in London, and at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

What makes Blaas's paintings recognizable?

Look for smiling young Venetian women in colourful shawls, bright sunlight, polished detail and settings of wells, balconies and canals.

Related Artists

• Karl von Blaas: his father and teacher
• Federico Andreotti: Italian painter of elegant costume scenes of the same era
• Vittorio Matteo Corcos: Italian painter of graceful young women of the same era
• Cesare Auguste Detti: Italian painter of costume genre scenes