Moritz Stifter 

Biography of Moritz Stifter  ( 1857-1905 )

Son of an engineer, Moritz Stifter was also the nephew of the writer Adalbert Stifter, with whom he began his artistic education. The young man first turned to a military career as an officer before choosing to turn to painting. He joined the Antique class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and entered the class of Carl von Piloty in 1882. It was with him that Stifter acquired the mastery of the Italian chiaroscuro typical of the Munich school.

Soon, the painter specialized in orientalist scenes of young women with an often fantasized vision of the Orient. His vision then moves away from that of his compatriots Rudolf Ernst, Leopold Carl Müller or Ludwig Deutsch, whose orient is much closer to reality and perfectly documented.  Although few elements are published about him, there is no doubt that Stifter traveled to Italy and Egypt.

He is known for his elegant interior and studio scenes, always animated by young women in sophisticated dresses. In the 1890s, he satisfied the Munich clientele with allegorical or orientalist representations. 

In 1899 he moved to Haag bei Neulengbach, west of Vienna, where he continued to work until his death.