OPITZ, Georg Emanuel

(b. 1775 Praha, d. 1841 Leipzig)

Georg Emanuel Opitz (also Opiz), Czech-born German painter. He studied law for a short time before moving to the Academy of Arts in Dresden, where he studied under Giovanni Battista Casanova (1730-1795).

In the early part of his career he worked as a portrait painter before moving to Vienna in 1801. It was here that he started to develop as a genre painter, painting scenes of everyday life; although these paintings are often laden with satire and social commentary, their warmth and charm is undeniable. Opitz moved to Paris in 1814 and was there during the occupation of the city by Russian forces. This is why, despite the fact Opitz never set foot in Russia, some of his work reflects a close observation of Russian soldiers and Cossacks.

After sojourns in Heidelberg and Altenburg he settled in Leipzig in 1820. Here he followed in the tradition of drawings that were being produced by Thomas Rowlandson in the first quarter of the nineteenth century and the erotic Japanese woodblock prints from the late eighteenth century by artists such as Utamoro.

He was a skilled miniaturist, watercolourist and engraver. Through his travels he encountered many varied subjects and began to diversify into military and genre scenes.

In Leipzig he became a professor at the Academy of Arts and worked for Urania magazine, producing genre works until his death in 1841.

Street Scene

This watercolour depicts a street scene with firewood and poultry sellers; two ladies wearing high bonnets buying goods, two children in front, a clergyman and soldier in the crowd behind. The main focus is on the foreground, where a few figures interact; these are painted in strong bold colours which draw the eye. Behind the simple foreground, genre scene figures mill about but they are faintly depicted and do not distract from the central subject.

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Tending to the Horses

This watercolour represents a scene of rural village life. A man has paused to ask directions from a group of Cossacks, one of whom points him in the right direction. His companions and the young apprentice are in the middle of lunch, and bread and vegetables can be seen on the table by a flask. The Cossacks made their living from tending to horses and one of them is depicted watering two animals. Cluttered around their stand are various tools of their trade.

Opitz often depicted Russians and Cossacks in his work, most notably in a series of watercolours which shows them trying to adjust to the Parisian lifestyle after their invasion of the city in 1814.

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The Cossacks' Encampment on the Champs Elysées in April 1814

This print shows the Cossacks’ encampment on the Champs Elys�es with large groups of figures amongst tents, trees in the background.

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