Georg Caspar Prenner Joseph von (1720-1766)

Georg Caspar Prenner Joseph von (1720-1766) - the son and disciple of the Austrian court artist A. von Prenner.

Since 1742 Prenner worked in Rome, where he created some of the temple altars and performed by order of the Roman Cardinal Trojans Akvivy album of engravings (1745-1747).

In 1750, the Vice-Chancellor Count Mikhail Vorontsov Illarionovich Prenner invited to Russia to the court of Elizabeth. Since it was awarded a contract for three years with a salary of 1,500 rubles per year. As court painter Prenner wrote magnificent formal portraits of Empress Elizabeth ("Portrait of Empress Elizabeth." 1754. THG) and pompous pseudo-compositions ("Equestrian Portrait of Empress Elizabeth and his entourage." 1750-1755. Museum). Prenner engaged and custom portraits: M. Vorontsov and his family members, the Chancellor of AP Bestuzhev-Rumin, Count Peter Shuvalov, J. E. Sievers (1750s. GE) and others.

Prenner prestigious position as court painter ensured its orders on the part of the St. Petersburg nobility. Foreign artists came into vogue. He made a fortune and even lent large sums of his patron, Count Mikhail Vorontsov. Thirteen known portraits of "particularistic court and in person," created Prenner during his stay in Russia. Among them - the lifetime portrait of the Board of Governors, which has not survived, but the extant copies of paintings and engravings prennerovskogo original. Apparently, the famous etching depicting Lomonosov JA Wortman engraved with a portrait from that. Prenner also painted icons. In the Catherine Palace was two-sided icon, insert the "Annunciation" / "Christ" (1757). Iconic image was made after a drawing by the famous architect F.-B. Rastrelli. During World War II icon is gone.

Creativity Prenner should be attributed to the direction of the Baroque. The coloring of his works is somewhat variegated and stiffness, especially in the image details. The coldness of his colorful scales contrasts with the color palette of the majority of Russian masters. Instead of three years Georg Caspar Joseph von Prenner stayed in Russia five. He developed his Russian pupils. But the proud and quick-tempered artist did not get along with the court environment. In 1755, he left Russia for good, along with his best pupil Alexander Perge. In 1762-1766, he worked in Rome, wrote altar paintings in the churches, as well as paintings of scenes of ancient mythology.