Berlin - Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

In this delicate composition, the ethereal elegance of ballet is conveyed through the image of pointe shoes against a soft pink background. Pointe shoes, symbols of grace and dedica...

The painting "Frida" explores the depths of the human soul through the image of the renowned Mexican artist. Inspired by Frida Kahlo's unique personality, this piece conveys her com...

This captivating painting portrays a young ballerina, delicately adjusting her pointe shoes. Dressed in a ballet tutu, she exudes grace and discipline. Th...

Warm Evening with Tea" is a painting permeated with soft light and the aroma of a summer garden. Lush flowers in a vase seem to whisper stories of quiet evenings, and a cup of tea s...

The painting evokes a quiet, cozy atmosphere, where a young woman enjoys the peace of a home evening in the company of her beloved cat. Her gaze, turned to the side, seems to catch i...

Evening Tea" is a painting permeated with soft light and the aroma of a summer garden. Lush flowers in a vase seem to whisper stories of quiet evenings, and a cup of tea standing ne...

Theodor Hosemann (1807 Brandenburg - 1875 Berlin), The actor Karl Seydelmann probably as Max Piccolomini, around 1840. Watercolor with pencil, 20.5 cm (height) x 14.7 cm (width), sig...

Theodor Hosemann (1807 Brandenburg - 1875 Berlin), The actor Karl Seydelmann as soldier, around 1840. Watercolor in pencil, 22 cm (height) x 14.7 cm (width), signed “Th.[eodor] Hosem...

Emil Faesch (1865 Basel - 1915 Basel). Sketch of a head. Charcoal on painting cardboard, 60 x 47.5 cm (folio size), signed and dated at lower right "E. Faesch. 1888.". Minor browning. - Carved in stone - About the artwork The life-size head has an immensely present presence. This effect is due to the fact that Faesch took his cue from academic classical...

"Peonies" is a vibrant and expressive painting that captures the beauty and delicacy of blooming peonies. Created with bold, sweeping brushstrokes and a vivid palette, this artwork ...

The majestic presence of a lion, depicted with a vibrant, expressive palette and bold brushstrokes, captures the essence of deep mental and emotional connections. The lion's command...

"Lion" depicts the majestic presence and serene strength of the lion, a symbol of power and dignity. An expressive palette and textural brushstrokes...

At the center of the composition is a graceful nymph surrounded by peacocks, symbols of grandeur and elegance. Their vibrant feathers, shimmering with shades of turquoise and green,...

In "Nymph of Eden" the artist continues her exploration of human sexuality and identity through mythological images. Inspired by ancient Greek mythology, where nymphs symbolized nat...

The painting "I Dreamed of You" offers a refined exploration of human sensuality and emotional experiences. At the center of the composition is an elegant woman with a confident gaz...

“Whisper of a Blooming Dream” is a work of art that reveals the subtle facets of sensuality, where passion is combined with tenderness. In the center of the picture is a woman gracef...

Evening Temptation" is a painting that captures the sensual notes of a cozy evening. At the heart of the composition lies a vase with flowers, sculpted in the form of a woman's body...

"Secret Visit" from the "Garden of Delights" series is an enchanting painting that portrays a girl surrounded by peacocks in a mysterious garden. This artwork symbolizes the beauty ...

The painting “Still Life with Crab” combines elements of piquancy and intrigue. The central place is occupied by a vase of flowers, depicted in the fo...

"Contemplation and Purring" captures a serene moment of harmony between a relaxed young woman and two playful cats. The woman, in gentle repose, embodies tranquility and introspecti...

This vivid portrait captures ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov in a moment of poised strength and grace. Rendered with a vivid and expressive palette, the painting highlights Barysh...

"Still Life with Flowers and Fruits" is a vibrant and dynamic painting that showcases a harmonious blend of flowers, fruits, and tableware. Created with a rich, expressive palette, ...

Hermann Prell (1854 Leipzig - 1922 Dresden-Loschwitz). Half-length portrait of a Pharisee, 1885. Sketch for the right-hand figure in the painting Judas Iscariot, 1886. Pencil drawing heightened with opaque white and black chalk on beige-grey wove paper (papier vélin), 34 x 27.8 cm (visible size), 52 x 45 cm (mount), signed, dated and inscribed "H. PRELL 1885 zu 'Judas'". Minor browning, collection stamp on the reverse. - In the shadow of betrayal - About the artwork This painting is the sketch for the head of the Pharisee offering the coins to Judas in one of Herrmann Prell's major works, the painting Betrayal of Judas, completed in 1886. The painting belongs to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden and is illustrated in Adolf Rosenberg: Prell, Bielefeld and Leipzig 1901, p. 21 (Fig. 19). It is especially highlighted in Thieme-Becker (vol. 27, p. 376). Hermann Prell, Betrayal of Judas, 1886 The monumental head, which fills the picture and is distinguished by its ornamented robe, is almost a lost profile, which in the executed painting is justified by the Pharisee's turning towards Judas. Despite the fact that the sitter withdraws from the viewer by turning away, it was necessary to artistically elaborate the motivation for the purchase of one of Christ's disciples, which is why the drawing focuses on the expression of the face, while the 'accessories' are treated in a more summary manner. In characterising the face, Hermann Prell performs a balancing act: since the Pharisee, despite his destructive actions, is an actor in the history of salvation, the head must show a dignity appropriate to the event, but at the same time the physiognomy must also bear witness to the scheming attitude that led to the betrayal. To solve this dilemma, Prell draws on the traditional depictions of the heads of the apostles, shading the face to indicate the obdurate darkness of the spirit and moving the base of the nose slightly upwards while the mouth falls away, thus giving a physiognomic expression to the motivation of the action. The fatal drama of the betrayal is expressed in the monumentalisation of the head and in the thunderous white highlights that contrast with the darkness of the chalk. As a study, considered by the artist to be a work in itself, this drawing reveals the pictorial problems and brainstorming of monumental painting. About the artist In 1872 Prell, who was one of the most important exponents of monumental painting of his time, began studying painting with Theodor Grosse at the Dresden Academy of Art and continued with Carl Gussow at the Berlin Academy in 1876. Hans von Marées taught him in Rome in 1878. More influential on his work, however, were Arnold Böcklin and Max Klinger, with whom Prell had been friends since his student days and with whom he worked together on several occasions. Prell's first major work, which established his reputation as a monumental painter, were the frescoes in the banqueting hall of the Architektenhaus in Berlin in 1881/82, commissioned by the state and depicting the different periods of architecture. Prell then went to Italy for two years to study fresco painting. Other major commissions followed. These included monumental frescoes in the town halls of Worms (1884), Hildesheim (1882-92), Gdansk (1895) and Dresden, the staircase of the Silesian Museum of Fine Arts in Breslau (1893/94), the throne room of the German Embassy in Rome (1896-99) and the staircase of the Albertinum in Dresden (1900-1904). From 1886 Prell taught at the academy of arts in Berlin and in 1892 he was appointed professor at the academy of arts in Dresden. His students included Osmar Schindler and Hans Unger...

Adolph Eduard Otto von Faber du Faur (1828 Ludwigsburg - 1901 Munich). Man sitting in the studio. Watercolour painting, 43 x 27 cm (visible size), 73 x 53 cm (frame), monogrammed at lower right, estate stamp. Upper right corner neatly repaired, small tear in the wall to the left of the sitter. - Thinking about art - About the artwork The sitter, an elderly man, is seated in a studio on a pedestal reminiscent of an academy hall. The earthy, dark tones give the scene a weighty quality. The lightest tones are found in the incarnate parts of the figure, which do not stand out from the other colours of the picture, but are linked to them. As a result, the sitter's face is both part of and the highlight of the colour references in the picture. The colour of the sitter's skin is reflected in his pink coat, while his white-grey hair matches the colour of the wall next to him. This almost monochrome wall surface, in turn, is connected across the portrait to the framed picture standing on the floor, which seems to have been erased by this correspondence with the empty wall surface. Through the palette, which is positioned directly behind the sitter's head, the reference to painting, which is already given by the studio space, is explicitly linked to the sitter, who thus seems to be contemplating the question of the meaning of art. This raises the question of whether Faber Du Faur, who had become lonely in his old age, might have painted a self-portrait here in his later years. In addition to the studio setting, the sitter's explicit reference to the palette and the fact that the picture was part of his estate, the only summary elaboration of the body suggests a self-portrait, while the representation of the face is concretised with the wide-open eyes typical of a self-portrait. This concentration on the face gives the impression of the artist's melancholy introspection, captured by the palette and related to the meaning of painting, whose dark character is reinforced by the concealment of the palette hanging on the right of the picture in the light tones so characteristic of Faber Du Faur. In the course of this resignation, Faber du Faur advises his son Hans, who has also become a painter: "Promise me one thing: never move to Munich, they'll kill you here!" Whoever the sitter may be, the references to painting make the portrait a resigned self-contemplation by Faber Du Faur, focused on art. About the artist After leaving school, Otto Faber du Faur entered the service of the Württemberg army, at the same time cultivating his artistic talent. In 1851, on the recommendation of his father Christian Wilhelm, who was himself a battle painter, he spent six months in Munich as an apprentice to Alexander von Kotzebue. In 1852 he was granted a year's leave of absence from military service to study battle painting in the studio of Adolphe Yvon...