Preindlsberger was born in
Graz,
Styria. She first studied in
Munich under
Lindenschmit, and having been awarded a scholarship for her first picture,
Mutterglück, she worked in France under Colin,
Pascal Adolphe Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (1852–1929), and
Gustave Courtois (1853–1923). She painted in the countryside and
Paris, and, as with many other young painters, fell under the spell of the rustic naturalist
Jules Bastien-Lepage. Her style continued to show his influence even when her subject matter changed from rustic to medieval romantic and biblical themes. While in France she met the Finnish painter
Helene Schjerfbeck, in whose company she visited Pont-Aven in 1883. in 1881 , by
Peder Severin Krøyer on 14 August 1886 Her first salon painting,
Reflection, which had been painted in Brittany, was exhibited in 1885 at the
Royal Academy. Her work was also shown at the
Grosvenor Gallery,
New Gallery, and the
Society of British Artists. In 1885, a year after her marriage, she took to using the name 'Mrs. Adrian Stokes'. Together with her husband, she spent the summers of 1885 and 1886 at
Skagen in the far north of Denmark where there was an artists' colony which became known as the
Skagen Painters. There the couple struck up a close friendship with
Michael and
Anna Ancher. In summer 1885 they also visited Ireland. Stokes exhibited her work at the
Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893
World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. She held a joint exhibition with her husband at the
Fine Art Society in 1900. The Stokeses lived in
St Ives where Marianne Stokes was a member of the
Newlyn School. Having no children, they regularly travelled abroad, frequently to the
Tyrol, and in 1905 to
Hungary and the
High Tatra. Here they spent about half a year sketching and painting in the villages of
Važec,
Mengusovce and
Ždiar. Adrian Stokes concentrated on landscapes, with images of hay-harvesting and picturesque cottages, while Marianne Stokes painted portraits showing the fine detail of the garments. These paintings provide a valuable record of the
Slovak culture. Stokes abandoned oils, inspired by the
Pre-Raphaelite movement, and prompted by the translation work of
Christiana Herringham. She painted flat compositions in
tempera and
gesso, her paintings giving the impression of being
frescoes on plaster surfaces. She was an Associate of the
Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours. Stokes was included in the 2018 exhibit
Women in Paris 1850-1900. Marianne Stokes died during 1927. Adrian Stokes died during 1935. Both were buried at
Mortlake Roman Catholic Cemetery, London. ==Selected paintings==