KONSTANTIN DANIL - ONE OF THE GREATEST SERBIAN PAINTERS OF THE 19TH CENTURY

BIJELJINA, MAY 12 /SRNA/ – Konstantin Danil /1798–1873/, one of the greatest Serbian painters of the 19th century and a representative of Serbian Biedermeier art, was born on May 13, 1798.

In a style and technique close to the Viennese classicists, Danil painted iconostases — the most significant being those in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and in the diocesan church in Timișoara — as well as portraits, still lifes and compositions.

He achieved true mastery as a portrait painter, displaying considerable artistic strength and refinement of colour, especially during the period when he freed himself from the constraints of stylization, modeling more freely and striving for psychological analysis, which is particularly striking in the portraits "Pavle Kengelac" and "The Artist's Wife".

Danil used very delicate, so-called lean colours, while at the same time applying three different artistic approaches.

He cannot be classified into any single school, because his work reflects a variety of influences - Venetian, Dutch, Viennese Biedermeier and pseudo-classical.