Of mixed Polish, Aromanian, and possibly Ruthenian, background, he identified mainly with the Romanian-speaking Greek-Catholics, although some of his most important work was also done for the rival Romanian Orthodox Church.

Smigelschi's "new vision" combined elements of Symbolism into the Orthodox tradition—a synthesis also found in his murals for smaller churches throughout Transylvania, and in his work on icons.

[7] Mihail's other son, Cornel Smigelschi, died in 1892, an event which inspired Octavian to paint a number of portraits from memory, and also to produce a series of drawings and canvasses of Abaddon.

Following graduation in 1884, he obtained a public scholarship to study at the Drawing School and Art Teachers' College in Budapest, headed by Bertalan Székely, together with Schullerus.

Specifically, he belongs to the branch of Symbolism cultivated by Dörschlag, Hans von Marées, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Max Klinger, and Béla Iványi-Grünwald.

[21] Curators Sabin-Adrian Luca and Dana-Roxana Hrib describe Smigelschi's painting as bridging "temperate naturalism" and "influences from that branch of Symbolism which descends from German romanticism".

[9] As the 1890s went on, Smigelschi also became increasingly drawn to Art Nouveau,[22] and was marginally affiliated with the Baia Mare School of painting, which saw him crossing paths with Ipolit Strâmbu.

Initially, his paintings of Abaddon became more macabre; circa 1900, however, Smigelschi introduced a merrier derivation of Symbolism, exploring the motif of "wicked fairies", which has roots in Romanian folklore.

[33] The show drew universal acclaim due to the newness of his style and the combination of popular Romanian motifs and peasant folk art he employed.

The fourth show occurred in December at the Decorative art Exhibit in Budapest, and was praised as well, including by Octavian Goga in Luceafărul[31] and by Károly Lyka in Magyar Iparművészet.

[9] He analyzed old painted churches at Tismana, Cozia, Bistrița, Horezu, Curtea de Argeș, Bucharest, Snagov, Sinaia, Iași, Suceava, Sucevița, Dragomirna, Putna, Rădăuți, Humor, Voroneț and Cernăuți.

From Byzantine models he took the monumental size and decorative look; this was infused with the Renaissance and German schools, in particular Arnold Böcklin, to create a neo-Byzantine style most evident in the Sibiu cathedral.

[46] Smigelschi also used his study of Gavriil Uric's calligraphy in his illuminated manuscript of the Gospel, completed for Bishop Victor Mihaly de Apșa,[47] and in diplomas for Albina Society founders, which also carried his personal seal.

[50] According to theologian Ioan Abrudan, the result is "liberated from Neoclassical naturalism", and mostly resembles work put out by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the Nazarene movement, being similarly indebted to Fra Angelico and Sandro Botticelli.

As attested by Braniște, Smigelschi was only interested in depicting the saintly figures as ideal Romanians, and purposefully avoided showing Christ as a "Jewish type".

[56] Various authors suggest that the Magi are each inspired by a ruler of the Romanian provinces (Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania): Alexander the Good is taken from Sucevița, Neagoe Basarab from Curtea de Argeș and Matthias Corvinus from a period engraving.

[61] Another portrait of Neagoe Basarab was included by Smigelschi in a 1906 mobile triptych, alongside a heroic scene from the Siege of Plevna and a panel showing sowers stricken by the vision of a better world.

[63] Accumulating influences from Bertalan Székely and direct borrowings from folk art, it was also controversial for including highly realistic elements done from life—including a possible depiction of Smighelschi's wife as Despina Doamna.

[67] In September, he also organized an exhibit at the Budapest Kunsthalle—side by side with Ignác Roskovics' works, and drawing favorable mentions from Hungarian critics (including Miklós Rózsa of A Hét newspaper).

[73] Iorga, in his obituary piece, claimed that both Catholics and Orthodox Transylvanians felt "undying sorrow, [sensing] that a century may pass and another painter like him [...] may still not be born."

An Italian immigrant from the Austrian Littoral who had worked with him at Caciova and Uifalău,[76] Zeiler was in turn the art teacher of Mărioara Maior—both of them showcased at the ASTRA Jubilee.

[78] Retrospective exhibitions before World War I include an October 1913 show at the Budapest Kunsthalle, also honoring Coulin and Bertalan Bartolomaus Papp; his paintings and drawings were arranged by his widow, who answered repeated pleas from the Hungarian Art Society.

"[80] The following month, Victor Smigelschi published a Românul article critical of Romanian authorities, noting that his brother had been bypassed in the contest for decorating Galați Orthodox Cathedral.

[84] The Transylvanian union with Romania in 1918–1920 integrated Smigelschi's work into a more general project to develop a style of monumental painting that would bridge traditionalism and modern sensibilities.

[85] Of this group, Demian was actually involved in a lengthy process to restore and complete the murals at Sibiu Cathedral: after signing a contract in 1936, he was allowed to work on the project only in 1960–1962.

Museologist Alexandru Chituță argues that this is because the communist regime of 1948–1989 had outlawed his Greek-Catholic Church, making references to him uncomfortable; and also because critics and historians were generally not based in the region were Smigelschi was most prolific.

[90] He married the Italian Maria Anna Giuseppina Trinchieri; their progeny includes two daughters, both of whom are noted artists: ceramist Ioana Șetran and printmaker Ana-Maria Smigelschi.