Hans Zatzka

Hans Zatzka painted a sweet, romantic world of fairies, nymphs, water sprites and pretty young women among flowers. His colours are soft and pastel, his figures graceful and idealised, and his settings dreamlike gardens, lakes and moonlit woods.

He was born in Vienna and studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under Christian Griepenkerl and Karl von Blaas. He painted altarpieces and frescoes for Austrian churches, but his fantasy and fairy tale scenes, some inspired by Wagner and the Brothers Grimm, were what made him popular. They were widely reproduced as postcards and prints. He also used several other names for his work.

A Water Idyll and Arabian Nights are good examples. Look for the delicate flesh tones and the dreamy light.