Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844 – 1926) was an Austrian impressionist painter, mainly of landscapes and flower still life. She was a representative of the Austrian "Stimmungsimpressionismus [de]" (Mood Impressionism), a loose group of Austrian impressionist painters that was considered avant-garde in the 1870s and 1880s.
Wisinger-Florian was born and lived all her life in Vienna. She began private art lessons at age 19. Frustrated with her progress and the quality of the instruction, she followed her parents' wishes and trained as a concert pianist with Julius Epstein. From 1868 to 1873 she had some success as a pianist, until a hand injury forced her retirement from the piano.
At age 30, Wisinger-Florian returned to painting, and devoted herself wholly to its study. She studied first with August Schaeffer and then with Emil Jakob Schindler. When she was 35 she was included in an exhibition of the Viennese Art Association. She was one of only nine women asked to contribute to Die österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie, a 24-part encyclopedia of the lands and peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire—of the other women included, Wisinger-Florian was the lone Austrian.
From 1881 she regularly showed paintings at the annual exhibitions mounted at the artist's house and later often showed at Vienna Secession exhibitions. The work she showed at the Paris and Chicago international exhibitions earned her worldwide acclaim. Wisinger-Florian exhibited her work at the Palace of Fine Arts and The Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The artist, who was also active in the middle-class women's movements of the time, was awarded numerous distinctions and prizes.
Wisinger-Florian's early paintings can be assigned to what is known as Austrian Mood Impressionism. In her landscape paintings she adopted Schindler's sublime approach to nature. The motifs she employed, such as views of tree-lined avenues, gardens and fields, were strongly reminiscent of her teacher's work. After breaking with Schindler in 1884, however, the artist went her own way. Her conception of landscapes became more realistic. Her late work is notable for a lurid palette, with discernible overtones of Expressionism. With landscape and flower pictures that were already Expressionist in palette by the 1890s, she was years ahead of her time.
Despite her late start as a painter, Wisinger-Florian enjoyed renown in fin de siècle Vienna. Her work was included in the 2019 exhibition City Of Women: Female artists in Vienna from 1900 to 1938.
© 2026. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Olga Wisinger-Florian or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
 |
| Ms. Olga Wisinger-Florian |
 |
| Motif from the Prater, c.1880 |
 |
| A Bouquet of Forget-me-not, c.1880-90 |
 |
| The Waterfall in the Village, c.1880-90 |
 |
| Castle courtyard of the Deutschlandsberg ruins, c.1880s |
 |
| A Girl in the Garden, c.1881 |
 |
| Lilies, c.1881 |
 |
| In the Farmhouse Garden, c.1884 |
 |
| Autumn Leaves, c.1894 |
 |
| In the Countryside, c.1895 |
 |
| Postal Inn in Karlsbad, c.1895 |
 |
| White Roses, c.1895 |
,%20c.1896.jpg) |
| Dämmerung (wayside shrine in a corn field), c.1896 |
 |
| c.1899 |
 |
| Falling Leaves, c.1899 |
 |
| A Wisteria-Covered Pergola in the Garden of Villa Haas in Abbazia, c.1900 |
 |
| River in an Autumnal Landscape, c.1900 |
 |
| Rustic Garden in Blossom, c.1900 |
 |
| Still Life with Pansies, c.1900 |
 |
| Rose Garden at Grafenegg, c.1904 |
 |
| Blooming Apple Trees, Spring, c.1906 |
 |
| Blooming Apple Trees, Spring, c.1906 |
 |
| Plane Tree Alley in Autumn, c.1909-10 |
 |
| In the Garden, c.1910 |
 |
| An Elm-Lined Promenade in Euxinograd, c.1911 |
 |
| The Elm-Lined Promenade in Euxinograd, c.1911 |
 |
| A Bouquet of Poppies, c.1926 |
 |
| Aulandschaft, c.1926 |
 |
| Interior with a View of a Festively Decorated Table, c.1926 |
 |
| The Goose Girl, c.1926 |
 |
| Evening Mood, Motif from the Park of H.R.H. Archduke Joseph in Fiume |
,%20c.1896.jpg)
