Johann Christoph Handke

Johann Christoph Handke (even Hantke, Handtke, Hancke, Hanke, Hankhe, Czech January Krystof Handke, born February 18, 1694 Johnsdorf ( Janušov ) in Roman city, Margraviate of Moravia, † December 31, 1774 in Olomouc), was a Baroque painter who worked in Moravia, Bohemia and Silesia.

Life

Handke in 1708 began an apprenticeship with the painter Freudenthal painter Daniel Langer. From 1713 he worked as an assistant to the painter Christian David in Moravskotřebova and 1715 with Ferdinand Naboth in Olomouc, where he in 1722 acquired the rights of citizenship. A year later he was accepted into the painters' guild. After the death of his master Naboth he continued his workshop and in 1724 he married his widow, whose name is not known. The marriage came from the daughter Paulina, who was born 1728.

His first freelance job was in 1715 the completion of the painting of the Linden Church ( Kostel v Lipkách ) at Roman town, which had been begun by his master Ferdinand Naboth. He immortalized himself with a self-portrait (man in a slouch hat ). Until 1728, he was mainly active in Olomouc and the surrounding area. In the following years he received several orders from the Jesuits. In 1728 he frescoed refectory in Opava College and in 1730 he painted with his pupil Johann Franz Hoffmann Königgrätzer Jesuit church. 1732 he frescoed the ceiling in the auditorium Leopoldina and the oratorio " marianum " in the then Jesuit University of Breslau, at their design including the artist Franz Joseph Mangoldt, Felix Anton Scheffler and Johann Albrecht victory joke were employed. 1733 Handke was busy with the decoration of the refectory of the Glogau Jesuit College. In addition, he also painted many portraits of emperors, popes and bishops and altar and Holy paintings.

After the death of his wife in 1742 Handke married to Maria Veronica Sadler († 1755), daughter of originating from Tyrol sculptor Philip Sadler. This marriage was descended from the son of Johannes Josephus, who was also a painter. Another son and daughter Jane Aloisia died in childhood or youth altar. After the death of Mary Veronica 1755 Handke married in the same year with a widow again, but left it after one year.

Handke was an unusually productive and successful muralist. In the years 1715-1755 he created proven 80 frescoes and fresco cycles, but they are no longer partly preserved. Among his colleagues were Johann Georg Etgens, Karl Franz Joseph Haringer and the Jesuit John cubes.

Autobiography

About his art Handke wrote an autobiography in which he will also address the problematic relationship of the artist to the clients with respect to a reasonable remuneration. It was in 1911 under the title Johann Christoph Handke 's autobiography as a commemorative of the Silesian Society for patriotic culture by Richard Foerster in Breslau Publisher Grass, Barth and Comp. edited. In the Festschrift is also a copy of the self-portrait of the Roman city dwellers Linden Church.

Other Works (selection)

• Gieben: altarpieces and wall 14 and Gewölbefresten (1723 )
• Sternberg: Winter refectory in the former Augustinian pin ( 1728)
• Krönau: altarpiece ( 1729 )
• Monastery Hradisch: Rooms on the pin new building ( 1728), ceiling painting in the church (built 1730)
• Moravian- Neustadt: St. Mary's Chapel in Minoritenkloster ( 1730)
• Holy Mountain Olomouc: side altar paintings and refectory ( 1733)
• (1737 /39)
• Velké Losiny: painting of the chapel ( 1742)
• Starnau: main altarpiece (1748 )