Ferdinand Andri

Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Lower Austria, 1871 - 1956, Vienna

BiographyAndri began as a student at Vienna's Academy in 1887-90. He then studied in Karlsruhe at the School of Art. From the beginning, Andri painted peasant scenes in a colorful, decorative style that paid special attention to the ornamentation of dress and folk art. He became a member of the Secession in 1899, serving as its president in 1904. During this period, he also completed sculptures, most significantly the statue of St. Michael that adorns Plecnik's Zacherlhaus (1903-1905). This work is considered the embodiment of Secessionist sculpture. Despite his affiliation with the Secessionists, Andri was never as dogmatically attached to the rigid decorative style so obvious in the works of Klimt and his followers. By 1909, Andri abandoned these stylistic elements in favor of a more realistic portrayal of the peasants at the St.-Polten market place. In 1919 he became a professor at the academy, where he remained until the 1940s.

Erika Esau, Pre-Modern Art of Vienna 1848-1898, Edith C. Blum Instutute of Bard College, 1987.

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