A Haunting Portrait of an Artist, Poignant Realist Modernity Circa 1900 Austrian Oil on Board

1900 - 1920

Sold by Skippings Fine Arts

Description

As a rule of thumb, the better the portrait, the harder it is to photograph, I have found. In some of me photos, the sitter looks like a young man of 30; in others, a middle-aged 45.

One makes him look - almost- like a country gent. Another, like a swarthy miner, a disenfranchised member of the proletariat. At first glance, this is who I believed was depicted. Then I spotted the cravat, and felt silly. It is in the nature of a face to show, in different moments, the older self and the younger self, the richer self and the poorer self. It is a rare thing for a portrait to reflect this, and this is exactly what is happening here.

It is most likely a self portrait of Austrian Johann Kupfer (Schwabach 1859-1917 Vienna). If this is so, it was painted in the 1890s, and is all the more extraordinary for its modernity, foreshadowing the work of the artists of the New Objectivity movement and the Social Realists of the 1920s and 30s.

Johann Michael Kupfer was a German-Austrian painter and sculptor. He was one of the most important portrayers of Viennese life around 1900. His exhibitions were visited by Emperor Franz Josef I and Archduke Rainer. His popular genre paintings depict fêtes; crowed beer gardens and pretty maids. However clearly there was a deeper, more complex side to the artist, one he rarely could afford to express, and which is visible here. The man in this painting has a soul and shows it, and that makes this painting so interesting.

An oil on canvas mounted on to board, it is signed at the lower right. Measuring 31 x 25.5 cm the overall framed size in a simple wooden frame which has been with the painting since the early 20th century is 34 x 29cm.

Johann Kupfer studied at the School of Applied Arts in Nuremberg under Georg Eberlein, at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Numerous works by the artist are in the Wien Museum.

Physical Dimensions

Height

31cm (12.20")

Width

25cm (9.84")

Depth

1cm (0.39")

Declaration

Skippings Fine Arts has dated this piece to the 1900s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA726388

Dealers Notes

Nous parlons français, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.

Description

As a rule of thumb, the better the portrait, the harder it is to photograph, I have found. In some of me photos, the sitter looks like a young man of 30; in others, a middle-aged 45.

One makes him look - almost- like a country gent. Another, like a swarthy miner, a disenfranchised member of the proletariat. At first glance, this is who I believed was depicted. Then I spotted the cravat, and felt silly.

“

It is in the nature of a face to show, in different moments, the older self and the younger self, the richer self and the poorer self.

Skippings Fine Arts

It is a rare thing for a portrait to reflect this, and this is exactly what is happening here.

fig 1. A haunting portrait of an artist, poignant realist modernity circa 1900 Austrian oil on board — fig 1. A Haunting Portrait of an Artist, Poignant Realist Modernity Circa 1900 Austrian Oil on Board

It is most likely a self portrait of Austrian Johann Kupfer (Schwabach 1859-1917 Vienna). If this is so, it was painted in the 1890s, and is all the more extraordinary for its modernity, foreshadowing the work of the artists of the New Objectivity movement and the Social Realists of the 1920s and 30s.

fig 2. A haunting portrait of an artist, poignant realist modernity circa 1900 Austrian oil on board — fig 2. A Haunting Portrait of an Artist, Poignant Realist Modernity Circa 1900 Austrian Oil on Board

Johann Michael Kupfer was a German-Austrian painter and sculptor. He was one of the most important portrayers of Viennese life around 1900. His exhibitions were visited by Emperor Franz Josef I and Archduke Rainer. His popular genre paintings depict fêtes; crowed beer gardens and pretty maids. However clearly there was a deeper, more complex side to the artist, one he rarely could afford to express, and which is visible here. The man in this painting has a soul and shows it, and that makes this painting so interesting.

fig 3. A haunting portrait of an artist, poignant realist modernity circa 1900 Austrian oil on board — fig 3. A Haunting Portrait of an Artist, Poignant Realist Modernity Circa 1900 Austrian Oil on Board

An oil on canvas mounted on to board, it is signed at the lower right. Measuring 31 x 25.5 cm the overall framed size in a simple wooden frame which has been with the painting since the early 20th century is 34 x 29cm.

fig 4. A haunting portrait of an artist, poignant realist modernity circa 1900 Austrian oil on board — fig 4. A Haunting Portrait of an Artist, Poignant Realist Modernity Circa 1900 Austrian Oil on Board

Johann Kupfer studied at the School of Applied Arts in Nuremberg under Georg Eberlein, at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Numerous works by the artist are in the Wien Museum.