Sinnbild Der Fruchtbarkeit 1870

Hans Makart created ‘Sinnbild Der Fruchtbarkeit’ using oil paint, a medium that allows for rich color and the layering of detail. In this artwork, the brushwork is loose and gestural, and the result feels quite immediate. You can almost see Makart at work, building up the forms with quick strokes. This directness gives the painting a vitality that complements its subject matter. Note how he's built up a thick impasto, especially in the drapery and foliage, creating a tactile surface. This adds to the sense of abundance and fertility that the title suggests. Oil paint, as a material, has its own history. Its association with the academy and with established traditions of picture-making, means that even a freely worked painting like this one carries a certain weight of cultural expectation. Makart was engaging with these traditions, and at the same time, pushing against them with his expressive handling of the paint. In this way, materials, making, and context are essential to understanding the full meaning of an artwork.