“Equestrian portrait” Otto Stotz (1805 – 1873)

original equestrian-themed animalier painting.

The work depicts an equestrian portrait of a nobleman on horseback in elegant clothes, galloping through the landscape in a bright and evocative atmosphere. The animal, a bay Arabian Thoroughbred, expresses the innate liveliness and elegance of this breed, flowing tail and mane, snub head with a white star which highlights the anatomical fineness, the tapered neck and the athletic gesture which is expressed in a gallop light and rhythmic. The perfect mount for a bourgeois class that approached horse riding no longer only as the only means of transport but also as a sporting discipline with a following of passionate breeders and generous clients who increased the artistic production of the animalier genre.

Stotz was a silent talent but had already made a name for himself as a "HORSE PAINTER" in noble residences as a portrait and landscape painter with a hyper-realistic style. It is well known among enthusiasts that starting from the 18th century, the United Kingdom was the home of flat racing and equestrian sports. The breeders who were members of the nobility and the upper class soon began to create exclusive clubs, called Country Clubs, reserved for members where portraits of all the winning champions of the competitions were commissioned and exhibited. The best subjects among stallions and mares bearing the purest bloodlines were the models of the artists who stayed in the homes near the stables to portray them from life. At that time the official Stud Book of the breed was established where the standard was established and the pure breeding criteria were established. Even today the English Thoroughbred holds the title of "improving breed" for the blood supply in the sports horse. The English were among the first clients and collectors of equestrian-themed portraits and the horse considered the absolute protagonist, starting with George Stubbs, the first to portray a life-size horse on a neutral background and without a rider, gave life to a real school of artists the "Animal Painters" who spread this niche style throughout the world. Showing an owned horse portrayed in a painting and hanging in the home was just as considered a status symbol as owning it as a breeder in a stable or as an employee on the race course, raising the cultural prestige and belonging of the owner within the high society of the era. The Queen of England, a skilled horsewoman and horse riding enthusiast, managed to manage the stud farm of the Royal Stables, obtaining numerous successes and great champions at an international level.

Otto Stotz animal painter specializing in equestrian themes.

He began his artistic career as a self-taught artist, demonstrating a strong talent and spirit of observation combined with an excellent and refined technique. A witness of German equestrian culture, of his love for these splendid animals and creator of a true "gallery of beauty" for the Austrian Court, home of the Vienna High School. An almost unknown artist, little studied but a revelation for the Animalier genre.

The debut between 1830 and 1840 in Stuttgart took place at the Court of the King of Wuerttenberg with the commission of some military works: battles and parades where officers and equestrian family portraits were present.

Stotz then directed his interest solely and exclusively to horses, a skilled designer and horse riding enthusiast, he frequented the Royal Stables to observe the subjects from life and create numerous sketches which he perfected and translated onto canvas in the studio. The academic style takes up a suggestive romantic note for the setting, the surrounding natural beauty and the obsessive attention paid to detail, nothing is overlooked: from the expressive and plastic anatomy to the harness of the horses, from human portraiture to the clothing of the knights, all meticulously created in a harmonious composition where the artist's natural predisposition and profound knowledge of the animalier genre emerge. A fascinating note that goes beyond mere aesthetic representation.

In 1839 – 1839 he portrayed the König Wilhelm I with his retinue on horseback, the large painting is preserved in the rooms of Friedrichshafen Castle.

He moved to Vienna in 1840 and began exhibiting his works in collective exhibitions, receiving the approval of critics and collectors belonging to high society and horse racing enthusiasts.

From 1841 to 1852 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and exhibited works dedicated to the horses present in the Royal Stables, becoming the official "horse painter" of the court.