Brown, Kelly: “Millet and the Biedermeier Period” Reading the Story of Oenone

“Millet and the Biedermeier Period” Reading the Story of Oenone, ca.1883; Oil on canvas; 30 x 57 7/8 in. (76.2 x 147 cm.). Detroit Institute of Arts.

In Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 was the period of art known as Biedermeier. Predominant in Germany and Austria, it was more of an attitude, trend, and lifestyle than an actual art movement. Biedermeier artists reflected themes of comfort in the everyday and domestic life, as well as classical themes of beauty. This would be a major shift from the depictions of wars, revolutions, and political upheavals that were so common in Europe in previous decades. During the Biedermeier, we also see a switch from depictions of the wealth of the empire to the lives and hobbies of the people. Unlike Francis Davis Millet, these artists had little respect for academic traditions. However, like Millet, we can see elements of Rococo, Realism, Classicism, and even Romanticism. Each artist was unique while, and again like Millet, gave themselves the freedom to explore and create works in a variety of styles and techniques with an eclectic mix of subjects.

One of Millet’s most famous classical genre works, Reading the Story of Oenone was first acquired by the Detroit Museum of Art, and at the first Art Loan Exhibition in 1883 was referred to as “those marvels of beauty, the Greek ladies in Room L.” Here we see four examples of Millet’s costume talents, as well as his exquisite sensitivity to tonality. Reminiscent of muses, the four women are all comfortably lounging and listening intently to the storyteller while sitting on a couch which extends beyond the canvas. The woman on the far right is looking at the viewer as if we have just walked into the room.

If there is one artist of the Biedermeier that we could compare Millet to, it would be Austrian painter, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865) who also worked in a variety of styles. If we compare Waldmüller’s 1848 work, Women Bathing at the Brook, to Millet’s Reading the Story of Oenone we can see similarities between the two. Aside from both artists giving specific attention to detail, Waldmüller also portrays a group of ladies acting as muses involved in everyday activities and is also representing beauty by way of the female form.

The question remains if it was possible that Millet would have seen any of these Biedermeier works and if they were an inspiration on his oeuvre. It is quite possible due to his studies in Antwerp which began in 1871, as well as the significant amount of time he spent in Europe. Also, in 1873 Millet was appointed Secretary of the Massachusetts Commission to the World’s Fair in Vienna where he surely would have seen the Biedermeier.[1]

[1] George W. Maynard, “Francis Davis Millet—A Reminiscence,” Art and Progress Vol. 3, No.9 (Jul. 1912): 653

Literature:

“Biedermeier.” Wikipedia. May 3, 2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biedermeier

“The Biedermeier Era in Vienna.” Visiting Vienna. Last updated January 5, 2021, https://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/biedermeier/

“Biedermeier Style.” Britannica. May 3, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/art/Biedermeier-style

“Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller.”Arthive. May 5, 2021. https://arthive.com/artists/70~Ferdinand_Georg_Waldmller/works

Kreider, Mary Beth. “Francis Davis Millet’s Reading the Story of Oenone,” Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts Volume 69, no. ½ (1995): 14-25. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41504903

Maynard, George W. “Francis Davis Millet–A Reminiscence,” Art and Progress Volume 3, no. 9 (1912): 653-654. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20560702

Millet, Francis D. “The American Academy in Rome,” The American Monthly Review of Reviews, Volume 31 (1905): 713-714.

Wilson, Richard Guy. The American Renaissance: 1876-1917. Brooklyn: Falcon Press, 1979.

“Millet and the Biedermeier Period” A Handmaiden

Home, hearth, charm, and beauty. These were themes of the Biedermeier, as well as the works of Francis Davis Millet. Like the many styles that Millet produced, the Biedermeier was eclectic and, most of all, it gave the artists the opportunity for creative freedom. Millet, as well as the artists of the Biedermeier, did not care for the changes in art brought about by modernity. In an article for The American Monthly written in 1905, Millet stated his views of the modern state of art, which not only gives us an insight into his creative ideals but possibly what may have been that of Biedermeier artists as well:

…the commercial spirit of the age, which has swamped every sentiment to which art can hope to appeal; it has been charged also to the busy, nervous, bustling life, which leaves no moment free from cares and worries of trivial occupations and makes meditation and quiet study impossible.[1]

Originally titled The Pompeian Girl in Millet’s 1886 piece, A Handmaid, we once again see a fine exemplar of the artist’s classical influence, as well as his extensive knowledge of Greek and Roman art and costume of the time. We see a ¾ length view of a woman who stands in a temple in profil perdu, with pale tonalities of gold, orange, and pink. We can compare this piece to another Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller painting. The Roman Ruins in the Gardens of Schonbrunn Palace, 1832. As we can see in both paintings, the artists are representing finely detailed Roman scenes with a combination of pale and rich tones with scenes of classic Roman marble statuary and surroundings.

As the art of the Biedermeier, Millet’s works were not necessarily innovative, and like the furniture design that Biedermeier is predominantly still known for, the art was about functionality and beauty. Millet may or may not have been directly influenced by Biedermeier, but he was most certainly influenced by the same human ideals of serenity and eclecticism. Perhaps it was the Biedermeier that simply inspired him to try his hand at a variety of works.

[1] Francis D. Millet, The American Academy in Rome, 1905. p.714