Nadine Hauptmann

Born in 1991 in Eisenstadt. Completed Bachelor's and Master's studies at the Institute of Art History, University of Vienna. Master's thesis supervised by ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Monika Dachs focused on the frescoes of the Tyrolean Rococo painter Christoph Anton Mayr, which were art historically contextualized based on their principles of design. Doctoral studies in Art History since March 2019, supervised by ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Monika Dachs. Starting in 2020, she is co-founder and organizer of the PhD Lounge in Art History (until 2023).

Current research project/dissertation: Das Ende eines Mediums. Der Stellenwert der österreichischen Monumentalmalerei 1770-1800.

The cultural shift at the end of the 18th century led to a reevaluation of priorities in artistic genres and a fundamental realignment of traditional design concepts. For fresco painting, which had long been highly esteemed in both sacred and secular spaces, this meant an increasing marginalization in interior decoration. This phenomenon was accompanied, among other factors, by the reform of Catholicism, which sought to distance itself from both baroque extravagance and superstition, as well as from opulent and misleading ceiling paintings. Enlightenment movements also contributed to relativizing the value of this imaginative genre of painting. Through the analysis of significant patrons and works created by the last generation of fresco painters in Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic, these effects will be elucidated and examined to a better understanding of the end of an era.

Research interests: 18th century Austria, wall and ceiling painting of the Baroque period, interior decoration concepts from late Baroque to Neoclassicism, effects of historical upheavals on the genre of fresco painting.

Publications:

Untergang eines Mediums?, in: Martin Rotheneder/Andreas Gamerith (Hg.), Einerseits Bergl. Bergl andererseits, Horn 2019, S. 115-117.