Since Antiquity the term Atti night or Atti lights designated on the one hand the special lighting conditions, which in Athens and Attika are praised since the antiquity and are brought in the connection with the characteristic of the city. The ancient writer Aelius Aristides wrote that one sees from a distance a light crown over the city. Our rare symbolistic painting was executed by renown Austrian genre painter Heinrich Hans Schlimarski (1859 -1913) after motive of well-known symbolistic poem of German poetess Hermione von Preuschen (1854 - 1918). Both of them: painter and poetess used another meaning of this term "Attic Night": This is the symbol and is the metaphor also for a certain liberal attitude. Martin Pollich said to Martin Luther: „In Ostelbien no attic light shines here, but lets far think of Rome and in meager landscape IT CAN BE IMAGINED MORE FREELY “.

Here is the quotation from this poem by H.von Preuschen (in free English translation): " Attic Night... Full moon over the Akropolis. Thousand lights gleam from Athens - like the souls of all large spirit, those once here worked - loved - glows. White light flows around each stone, breath and smell becomes each hard darkness. Proudly the eternally beautiful Erechtheion quite the classically pure girl bodies, and and raised building of the Parthenon swims in the moon gloss- gloreolkissed... Black temple gates of the deepest people existence mystery . .. Through the attic violet-blue night shines the Akropolis moon-white! "

About the author of our painting: Heinrich Hans Schlimarski (1859 -1913), renown Austrian genre painter, artist of polish origin, he settled in Vienna , studied in Vienna Art Academy, was the best pupil of most renown Austrian historical painter Hans Makart . Schlimarski worked in Vienna , Munich and Italy and was popular with his large decoration works and oriental portraits, which created in order of the high society from Europe.

Literature: Thieme/Becker "Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künsler..", Leipzig, 1999; Prof.H.Fuchs "Austrian Artists"(in german), Vienna, 1975

Inscription: signed lower left .

Technique: pastel on canvas, original period gold-plated frame.

Measurements: unframed w 41 3/4" x h 24 3/4" (106 x 63 cm); framed w 47 3/4" x h 31 " (121,5 x 78,5 cm)

Condition: in very good condition.