A helping Hand

The son and pupil of Karl von Blaas, a professor at both the Rome and the Venice Academies, Eugen von Blaas was himself a talented artist. Born in Albano, near Rome, to Austrian parents, von Blaas fils exhibited frequently in London, but took the majority of his inspiration from the Genre subjects surrounding him in his native Italy. He would often portray elegant ladies dressed in their finery, Venetian fishermen, young men making welcome overtures to groups of ladies and simple, contented domestic scenes.

In the present work, the kitchen provides the backdrop to the depiction of the family as well as the focus of the group, a motif traceable to 17th Century Dutch Mannerist paintings. As in its earlier precursors, the kitchen is portrayed as an ordered, stable environment, in direct contrast to the more bawdy depictions of taverns or often disorganised exterior scenes. The harmonious relationship of the figures to their calm, rustic surroundings is accentuated by the sense of depth created by both the receding floor tiles and the strong light which leads us across the picture and through the figures, concentrating our gaze on the pot which nestles in the dark alcove of the chimney. This touching family scene, full of harmony and dignity, provides the viewer with an image of calm contentment.