Lady in Yellow (sometimes known as Woman in a Yellow Dress) is a stunning painting of Maximilian Kurzweil’s beautiful wife Martha Guyot. Her arms are draped over the back of a chaise longue which is upholstered in a green patterned fabric, as she gazes out at us in a languid and relaxed pose. There is a supreme look of contentment in her expression. The brilliant yellow dress with its many tones is in total harmony with the sofa and compliments her pale limbs. In 1895, Kurzweil married Martha, who was from Brittany. They spent their summers in Brittany and their winters in Vienna. In 1896, at the age of twenty nine he became a member of the Künstlerhaus in Vienna but the following year he, along with Kustav Klimt, became founder-member of the Vienna Secession, also known as the Union of Austrian Artists, which was a group of Austrian artists who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. This movement included painters, sculptors, and architects. He was also editor of the Secessionist magazine Ver Sacrum (Sacred Spring). Kurzweil participated in their exhibitions with paintings including this one. Kurzweil who was born in 1867 in Bisenz, which is now known as Bzenec in the Czech Republic. He first studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. At the age of twenty five, he travelled to Paris and attended the Académie Julian and it was here that he first exhibited his paintings. Whilst living in France, he visited the Breton harbour town of Concarneau and fell in love with the area, its vivid sunrises and sunsets, its people and the busy port with its sailing ships and fishing fleet. In 1894, he returned to Vienna and the Academy and studied the art of portraiture. Kurzweil began to be influenced by French art especially Impressionism and plein-air painting which showed him the way to use lighter – much brighter colors than those he used before. It all led to this gorgeous painting of Martha in yellow.
Dame in Gelb (Lady in Yellow) by Max Kurzweil (Austrian) - Oil on canvas / 1899 - Wein Museum (Vienna, Austria) #womeninart #art #womensart #portraitofawoman #MaxKurzweil #artwork #oilpainting #Kurzweil #WeinMuseum #yellowdress #AustrianArtist #portrait #fineart #portraitofalady #fashion #dress
