Martino Altomonte

Martino Altomonte, actually Martin Hohenberg ( born May 8, 1657 Naples, † September 14, 1745 at Heiligenkreuzerhof, Vienna ) was a Baroque painter. Considered together with Johann Michael Rottmayr as the founder of the self- Baroque painting in today's Austrian area.

Life and work

He was born in Naples, the son of the baker Michael Hohenberg. From 1672 he held for training purposes in Rome, where he dealt with the " neoclassical " painting by Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni. Roman and Neapolitan elements were synthesized by him in an original way. 1684 he was appointed by King John III. Sobieski appointed as court painter in Warsaw. On this occasion he italianisierte his name, when Italians were preferred at this time as an artist.

On December 26, 1690, he married in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw Barbara Dorothea Gerkien.

Since 1700 he is detectable in Vienna, from 1707 he was a member of the Kayser Lichen Academie by Peter Strudel. In addition to some altar paintings ( among others in the St. Charles Church and St. Peter's Church ), he is known primarily for the ceiling frescoes in the Lower Belvedere. He followed the example of this Ricci, who gave the soffit over the foreshortening preference.

Probably 1729 was Altomonte his workshop in Heiligenkreuzer court at Vienna. In the 30s of the 18th century, he was close to the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, with which he in 1738 as a " familiaris " combined.

In the monk Hofer parish church, which belonged to the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, created in 1736, a new high altar. This work of art from Kaiser stone was erected by the emperor stone Brucherhof - Stonemasons Elias hill, the sculptures from Zogelsdorfer stone sculpted by Giovanni Giuliani and the altarpiece by Martino Altomonte.

Martino Altomonte was already 80 years old when the abbot of Wilhering with him in 1737, the high altarpiece ordered. The order was placed, all the images for the side altars were added. This altarpiece cycle was Altomonte last great work.

Monte Alto is located in the cemetery at Heiligenkreuz buried.

After his death still existed draft frescoes, especially in low-and Upper Austrian monasteries, but were not executed until his son Bartholomew.

1936 Altomonte street in the 12th district Meidling and 23 district Liesing was named after him.