An essay concerned with the history of art and culture on the
exhibition "Striking Poses. Family Portraits from Jewish Society", 6
October to 16 January 2005.
128 pages with 50 color illustrations, paperback, 14.90 euros, ISBN: 3-8321-7891-0, DuMont Publishers for Art and Literature
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Publications>Our Series "Zeitzeugnisse">Family Pictures: Self-Portrayal among the Jewish Bourgeoisie
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Family Pictures: Self-Portrayal among the Jewish Bourgeoisie
There is no image so strongly associated with the Biedermeier era as
that of the family. Head foresters, clergymen, merchants, and artists
with wife and children gathered round welcome the observer into their
parlor. They put on a little show for him/her entitled "Joyous Family
Life".
The lively portrait of the Berlin merchant family Moritz Manheimer, painted by Julius Moser in 1850, shows us an affectionate family with an interest in art and tells us a great deal about the self-image and the values of the Jewish bourgeoisie in the conflict area between public self-portrayal and familial intimacy.
Comparison with group portraits of other German-Jewish families illustrates the historical changes and the constants of the family portrait into the modern age.
The lively portrait of the Berlin merchant family Moritz Manheimer, painted by Julius Moser in 1850, shows us an affectionate family with an interest in art and tells us a great deal about the self-image and the values of the Jewish bourgeoisie in the conflict area between public self-portrayal and familial intimacy.
Comparison with group portraits of other German-Jewish families illustrates the historical changes and the constants of the family portrait into the modern age.
