Oskar Mulley

(1891-1949)

Austria – Art of the Interwar Period – Oskar Mulley

Vita:

Oskar Mulley’s talent for painting was discovered at the age of 10. In 1910 he moved to Vienna to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in order to be able to pursue his passion. His professors and companions at the time were Alois Delug and Rudolf Jettmar. After successfully completing his studies, he began to work as a theater painter. As the next step in his life, he decided to leave Vienna and move to Kufstein. This area was very formative for his later work. In 1934 he changed his domicile one last time and moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he stayed until his death. Oskar Mulley enjoyed numerous exhibitions of his works and was honored with numerous prizes, including the Golden State Medal for Fine Arts and the Great People’s Prize.

Work:

Oskar Mulley’s work was initially characterized by its dark and mystical style, which was also known from Edvard Munch, for example. In his later work he orientated himself more and more towards softer and merging colors. Mountain landscapes were his trademark. The artist is one of the most gifted painters of the interwar period. His works are also often compared with those of Alfons Walde, who also specialized in landscape painting. Oskar Mulley, who was strongly inspired and shaped by his academy professor Rudolf Jettmar, painted with a particularly lively and detailed spatula technique, which on the one hand made his paintings appear dramatic but on the other hand did exactly the opposite with strong colors.