Fritz Novotny
Encyclopedia
Fritz Novotny was an Austria
n art historian
. He is considered a member of the Vienna School of Art History
.
under Josef Strzygowski
, and wrote his dissertation on the Romanesque architectural sculpture in the apse of the Pfarrkirche in Schöngrabern, in Lower Austria
. Beginning in 1927 he worked as an assistant at Strzygowski's institute. In 1937 he received his habilitation
with a study of Cézanne und das Ende der wissenschaftlichen Perspektive (Cézanne
and the end of scientific perspective), which became a standard study of the French painter and established Novotny as an internationally recognized expert on his work. As a result of this book, Novotny made the acquaintance of the painter Gerhart Frankl, whose own work was stylistically influenced by Cézanne, but had also struggled with his French forebearer through his statements on the theory of art. A life-long friendship between Novotny and Frankl developed out of this initially professional conversation, and the two maintained an extensive correspondence. When Frankl had to flee to England in 1938, he attempted to also bring Novotny out of Austria, which in the meantime had been annexed to Nazi Germany. However, Novotny did not wish to leave his aged mother and his ill sister behind, and so he decided to remain in Vienna. Despite his uncompromising anti-fascist attitude, in 1939 Novotny received a position at the Österreichische Galerie
in Schloss Belvedere
, where he served as interim director for two years immediately after the end of the war. From 1960 until 1968 he served again as director of the Galerie, where he mounted a series of well-attended exhibitions that introduced the population of Vienna to the great masters of modern painting. From 1948, Novotny taught at the University of Vienna as a Professor extraordinarius. On the occasion of his retirement in 1978, he was honored with the title of Professor ordinarius. As a board member of the Adalbert Stifter
Society, Novotny occupied himself with the artistic works of the Austrian poet, and founded a small museum, which today forms a part of the Vienna Museum
(the municipal museum of the city of Vienna).
Novotny's study of Cézanne has been described as "the most disciplined exercise in the formal-analytic method" that was associated with the Vienna School of Art History
in the mid-20th century. In the English-speaking world, Novotny is best known for his volume on 19th-century art, published as part of the Pelican History of Art.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n art historian
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
. He is considered a member of the Vienna School of Art History
Vienna School of Art History
The Vienna School of Art History is a collective term used to describe the development of fundamental art-historical methods at the University of Vienna...
.
Biography
Novotny studied art history at the University of ViennaUniversity of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
under Josef Strzygowski
Josef Strzygowski
Josef Strzygowski was a German art historian known for his theory on the influence of Early Christian Armenian architecture on the early Medieval architecture of Europe, outlined in his book, Die Baukunst der Armenier und Europa...
, and wrote his dissertation on the Romanesque architectural sculpture in the apse of the Pfarrkirche in Schöngrabern, in Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. Beginning in 1927 he worked as an assistant at Strzygowski's institute. In 1937 he received his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
with a study of Cézanne und das Ende der wissenschaftlichen Perspektive (Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
and the end of scientific perspective), which became a standard study of the French painter and established Novotny as an internationally recognized expert on his work. As a result of this book, Novotny made the acquaintance of the painter Gerhart Frankl, whose own work was stylistically influenced by Cézanne, but had also struggled with his French forebearer through his statements on the theory of art. A life-long friendship between Novotny and Frankl developed out of this initially professional conversation, and the two maintained an extensive correspondence. When Frankl had to flee to England in 1938, he attempted to also bring Novotny out of Austria, which in the meantime had been annexed to Nazi Germany. However, Novotny did not wish to leave his aged mother and his ill sister behind, and so he decided to remain in Vienna. Despite his uncompromising anti-fascist attitude, in 1939 Novotny received a position at the Österreichische Galerie
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere is a museum housed in the Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria.The art collection includes masterpieces from the Middle Ages and Baroque until the 21st century, though it focuses on Austrian painters from the Fin de Siècle and Art Nouveau period...
in Schloss Belvedere
Belvedere (palace)
The Belvedere is a historical building complex in Vienna, Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables. The buildings are set in a Baroque park landscape in the 3rd district of the city, south-east of its centre. It houses the...
, where he served as interim director for two years immediately after the end of the war. From 1960 until 1968 he served again as director of the Galerie, where he mounted a series of well-attended exhibitions that introduced the population of Vienna to the great masters of modern painting. From 1948, Novotny taught at the University of Vienna as a Professor extraordinarius. On the occasion of his retirement in 1978, he was honored with the title of Professor ordinarius. As a board member of the Adalbert Stifter
Adalbert Stifter
Adalbert Stifter was an Austrian writer, poet, painter, and pedagogue. He was especially notable for the vivid natural landscapes depicted in his writing, and has long been popular in the German-speaking world, while almost entirely unknown to English readers.-Life:Born in Oberplan in Bohemia , he...
Society, Novotny occupied himself with the artistic works of the Austrian poet, and founded a small museum, which today forms a part of the Vienna Museum
Vienna Museum
The Vienna Museum is a group of museums in Vienna consisting of the museums of the history of the city. In addition to the main building in Karlsplatz and the Hermesvilla, the group includes numerous specialised museums, musicians' residences and archaeological excavations.The permanent exhibit of...
(the municipal museum of the city of Vienna).
Novotny's study of Cézanne has been described as "the most disciplined exercise in the formal-analytic method" that was associated with the Vienna School of Art History
Vienna School of Art History
The Vienna School of Art History is a collective term used to describe the development of fundamental art-historical methods at the University of Vienna...
in the mid-20th century. In the English-speaking world, Novotny is best known for his volume on 19th-century art, published as part of the Pelican History of Art.
Selected works
- Romanische Bauplastik in Österreich, 1930.
- Cézanne und das Ende der wissenschaftlichen Perspektive, 1938. Selections translated in C.S. Wood, ed., The Vienna School Reader: politics and art historical method in the 1930s (New York, 2000), pp. 379-433.
- Adalbert Stifter als Maler, 1941.
- Die großen französischen Impressionisten, 1952; Reprinted 1995.
- Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1780 to 1880 (The Pelican History of Art), 1960.
- Über das „Elementare“ in der Kunstgeschichte, 1968.