Self-Portrait, Laughing – Works – Sammlung Online

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The image depicts a portrait of a person. The individual has a joyful expression with a wide-open mouth, as if laughing. The facial features are pronounced, with a strong jawline and light complexion. The background is restless, consisting of textured brushstrokes that do not form a specific shape. The person's clothing is simple, with part of a shirt visible.

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Belvedere, Oberes Belvedere, 1. Obergeschoß (Ost), Raum SO1
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Self-Portrait, Laughing
Date1908

Künstler*in Richard Gerstl (1883 Wien – 1908 Wien)

ULAN

Object typePainting
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
40 × 30,5 cm
Signatureunbezeichnet
Inventory number4035
Locations Belvedere, Upper Belvedere, 1. Floor (east), Room SO1
In his short artistic career, Richard Gerstl remained an outsider. A passionate music lover and student at the Vienna academy, he refused to exhibit his works in public and had little contact with colleagues. Independently from the various artist groups in Vienna, from 1905 onward he started developing a radically modern expressiveness that seems ahead of its time and was probably inspired by the works of Edvard Munch. When he died at the young age of twenty-five, he left behind around eighty works, which did not become known to a wider public until several decades later. They include numerous selfportraits, mostly with a serious expression. Even the laugh captured with wild brushstrokes in this portrait is more menacing than cheerful.