Twelfth Night

Gareis's meticulously painted genres, a regular feature of the Prague exhibitions of the artists' association Krasoumná jednota, were appreciated by both the critics and public and no doubt contributed to the popularity of this branch of painting. Gareis often painted idyllic genres with a religious content - he found his motifs in town and country and endowed his pictures with homely calm, family bliss and the peaceful atmosphere of festive occasions. His careful paintings with their wealth of small details, accurately depicted character traits of individul personages and a striking use of chiaroscuro had their models in Dutch 17th-century genre painting. In this picture Gareis painted the ancient custom of lightening candles within the family - each candle indicated to its owner his/her life-span. Through the window we see the Magi.