Carl Reichert

Carl Reichert is known for his sentimental and technically proficient paintings of dogs and cats, which were very popular.

It is difficult to name a single 'most famous work' by Carl Reichert, as his artistic output consisted mainly of animal paintings, particularly of dogs and cats. He was Austrian, born in Vienna in 1836, and he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts there. He died in 1918. Rather than one specific piece, it is more accurate to say that Reichert is best known for his general skill in animal portraiture. He captured the character of domestic animals; his paintings were popular with pet owners wanting a memento of their animals. He worked in watercolour, and his paintings are known for their attention to detail and realistic depictions of fur and features. He also painted genre scenes involving animals.

Carl Reichert's prints, like those of many artists, exist in a marketplace with a long history of confusing terminology. Since the late 19th century, commercial print technology allowed for high-quality reproductions, leading to potential deception in the art market. Terms like 'original', 'handmade print', and 'limited edition' have specific meanings to artists and collectors; misuse of these terms can mislead buyers. In response to this confusion and potential for unethical practice, organisations such as the Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada (PADAC) have created definitions to clarify the distinction between an 'original print' and a 'reproduction'. PADAC defines an original print as an image conceived and executed solely as a print, usually in a numbered edition and signed by the artist. Each print is an original, made from a matrix created for that purpose, and individually inked and pulled. A reproduction, however, is a copy of artwork initially conceived in another medium, often produced via photo-mechanical means. To protect themselves in the marketplace, buyers should request documentation sheets and pay close attention to terminology.

It is difficult to assign Carl Reichert to a single movement, but his work can be viewed in the context of Realism, a recurring theme in European art since classical times. Realism emphasises the accurate depiction of surface appearances. The 17th century saw three kinds of Realism: Spanish polychrome sculpture; Caravaggism; and Dutch painting. Realism takes its character from the style of its period. It is related to, but narrower than, "imitation", which, according to classical tradition, is the enactment in formal terms of almost any human act, story, or emotion. Realism does not necessarily imply the logical reconstruction of spatial relationships and proportions. In the 19th century, Realist artists aimed to represent "reality" through close study of detail. This approach was evident in Europe and America. Photography also emerged as a medium aligned with Realist interests, offering a new way of observing and recording nature.

Carl Reichert was an Austrian artist known for his paintings of animals, particularly dogs and cats. He was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Reichert's work often depicted these animals in domestic settings, displaying a keen eye for detail and a sympathetic understanding of his subjects. Reichert's paintings were popular during his lifetime and continue to be appreciated by collectors today. His art aligns with the Realist movement, which insisted on precise imitation of visual perceptions without alteration. Realism limited its subject matter to facts of the modern world as artists personally experienced them. In Reichert's case, this meant focusing on the animals he observed in his daily life.

I cannot provide precise dates for Carl Reichert's life and career from the reference texts. However, the passages do allow for some contextualisation of the period in which he worked. The latter half of the 19th century was a time of considerable change in the art world. Several artists explored new approaches, such as Impressionism and Pointillism. Many artists showed work at the Salon in Paris, while others participated in Impressionist group exhibitions or the Salon des Indépendants. The passages mention various artists who were active during this time, including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Paul Signac, and Georges Seurat. These artists, along with others, contributed to a dynamic and evolving artistic culture.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where one might view works by Carl Reichert. However, many museums with collections of Art Deco, or decorative arts from the late 19th and early 20th century, may hold his work. These include institutions in Europe and North America. In the United States, one might try the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), or the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, try the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto). In the United Kingdom, potential locations include the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London). In continental Europe, consider the Bauhaus Archive-Museum fiir Gestaltung (Berlin), the Brohan-Museum (Berlin), the Kunstgewerbe Museum of Decorative Arts (Berlin), the MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Art/Contemporary Art (Vienna), the Museum beim Markt (Karlsruhe, Germany), and the Museum fiir Kunst und Gewerbe (Hamburg).

Carl Reichert's direct influence is difficult to trace. However, one can examine those artists whose concerns and practices bear similarities to his. Ad Reinhardt, an abstract painter, is one such example. Reinhardt's development shows similarities to Piet Mondrian's, particularly in his move towards abstraction. Reinhardt's early works consisted of closed shapes and contrasting hues on a defined ground. Later, these forms fragmented into gestural marks with darkened colour, integrating figure and ground. Some canvases reduced to black and white, comparable to Mondrian's smaller-scale paintings. Reinhardt also experimented with autonomous colour planes. Reinhardt's writings had an impact on conceptual artists in the 1970s. He explored the possibilities of painting within restricted means. He accepted and challenged the limits of the painting tradition. Although Reinhardt admired Matisse and Picasso, Mondrian was the challenge.

Carl Reichert's work shows the influence of Piet Mondrian, the Dutch abstract painter. In the 1940s, Mondrian's approach was important for artists in New York. Sources close to Reichert confirm that he felt Mondrian was one of the few artists who mattered. Although he admired Matisse and Picasso, Mondrian was the real challenge. Reichert wanted to eliminate elements that Mondrian retained. Mondrian's presence was felt in New York even before he arrived in the United States in October 1940. His paintings were known from magazine illustrations, and from the early 1930s, they could be seen at the Museum of Living Art. Some were shown in the 1926 exhibition of the Societe Anonyme in Brooklyn; others in Alfred Barr's Cubism and Abstract Art at The Museum of Modern Art in 1936. In 1936, Reichert studied with Holty at the American Artists' School, the year the AAA was founded. In 1937, he became one of the group's youngest members and began exhibiting with them. His early works show the disparate influences of Mondrian, Miro, Helion, Stuart Davis and Holty.

It is difficult to assess Carl Reichert's importance without more information. However, we can consider the context of similar artists and movements of his time. Hans Richter, for example, moved from Zurich to Berlin after the First World War. During the Dada period, Richter created "visionary portraits" of friends such as Emmy Hennings, and he illustrated her book *Gefängnis* (Prison). A meeting with pianist/composer Ferruccio Busoni in 1918 led him toward a different path, adding another dimension to Dada. Busoni supported a new aesthetic in music, moving beyond the tempered scale to explore microtones. Although he did not embrace Luigi Russolo's noise machines, Busoni shared Russolo's belief that modern life had educated our hearing. Busoni suggested that Richter apply counterpoint to his painting. Richter met Swedish artist Viking Eggeling, and they sought an alphabet of visible form. Richter co-founded the group Das Neue Leben (The New Life) in Zurich with Eggeling, Arp, Taeuber, and Janco; this group became the European vanguard of Constructivism.

Carl Reichert's art style was sentimental and technically proficient.

Carl Reichert was born in 1836 in Austria–Hungary. Carl Reichert died in 1918, aged 82.