Charles Wilda

Charles Wilda, originally Karl (20 December 1854, Vienna – 11 June 1907, Vienna) was an Austrian Orientalist painter. He was the elder brother of the painter, Gottfried Wilda.

Self-portrait

Biography

He studied with Leopold Carl Müller at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. It was Müller who first introduced him to Orientalist painting, having himself acquired that interest from Eugène Fromentin in Paris.[1] In 1903, the Viennese art critic, Ludwig Hevesi, declared Wilda to be Müller's true successor.[2]

He often stayed in Cairo for extended periods, and scenes of the daily street life there compose the bulk of his works. In 1892, he undertook a journey through North Africa with his friend, the sculptor Arthur Strasser, which provided additional inspiration.

Beginning in the 1880s, he was a regular exhibitor at events in Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Dresden.[3] He was also represented by several works at the Exposition Universelle (1900).

In 1895, he was awarded the Kaiserpreis for art and, in 1898, was presented with a small, golden State Medal. Two of his paintings were acquired for the Imperial Collection of Kaiser Franz Joseph I.[4]

Following his death, the Vienna Künstlerhaus honored him at their Autumn Exposition with over fifty of his oil paintings being featured. He was interred at the Wiener Zentralfriedhof. His grave is adorned with a monument created in 1909 by Hella Unger (1875-1932).

Selected paintings
  • The Antiques Seller
  • Inside the Souk
  • The Dancer
  • The Carpet Merchants
  • The Snake Charmer

References
  1. Angelika Leitzke: Das Bild des Orients in der französischen Malerei von Napoleons Ägypten-Feldzug bis zum Deutsch-Französischen Krieg. Tectum Verlag, Marburg 2001, ISBN 3-8288-8267-6
  2. Ludwig Hevesi: Oesterreichische Kunst im 19. Jahrhundert. Seemann, Leipzig, 1903, Part II 1848–1900, pg.212.
  3. Friedrich von Boetticher: Malerwerke des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts : Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte. Fr. v. Boetticher’s Verlag, Dresden. Vol., 1898, pg. 1018 (archive.org)
  4. Wladimir Aichelburg: Das Wiener Künstlerhaus 1861–2001. Vol.1: Die Künstlergenossenschaft und ihre Rivalen Secession und Hagenbund. Österreichischer Kunst- und Kulturverlag, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-85437-189-6, pg.207.

Further reading
  • Katalog Herbstausstellung und Gedächtnisausstellung Charles Wilda : Wien, 10. November 1907 im Künstlerhause. (exhibition catalog), Verlag der Genossenschaft der bildenden Künstler Wiens, 1907.
  • Herbert Zemen: Der Orientmaler Charles Wilda, 1854-1907. Materialien zur Biographie. Self-published, Vienna 2012 WorldCat
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