Emil Barbarini was born in 1855 in Vienna where he lived until his death in 1930. He was at first apprentice to and consequently influenced by his father, the landscape painter Franz Barbarini. However, Emil soon found his own style which was very different from that of his father.

Apart from landscapes he painted market scenes of Vienna, Krems and other Austrian as well as foreign towns. Similar to the French, he typically painted the same motifs at different times of the day thus creating variations featuring different shades of light. In his work, harmony dominates over contrast.