The Styrian Transition Ferdinand Mallitsch moves through the nineteenth century with a shifting gaze. Born in 1820, his early years are anchored in the Biedermeier tradition, a period defined by intimacy and domesticity. In 1839, a small watercolor self-portrait captures a young man at the start of an ambitious path. The brushwork is precise, focusing on the fine details of facial physiognomy. This technical mastery of drawing forms t…