The Artist's Studio
Artist: Johann Georg Platzer (Austrian, 1704–1761)
Date: 1740s–1750s
Medium: Oil on copper
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Description
Johann Georg Platzer specialized in small, highly detailed paintings scaled for a connoisseur’s cabinet. At the center of this composition is an idealized portrait of the artist himself, clad in a fur-lined robe and holding a painting for the inspection of a visiting connoisseur. This work makes a statement about painting as a noble and intellectual pursuit, and the importance of rigorous training and practice: the artist at the easel is surrounded by a studio teeming with live models, pupils, assistants, and inspiring examples of art from earlier eras. The paintings on the wall, easel, and floor not only reference great artists of the past, but together present an allegory of the five senses.