Lady in black in front of a showcase
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| Lady in black |
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| Ernst Oppler , 1922 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 91 × 74.5 cm |
| National Gallery Berlin |
The Lady in Black is a painting by the painter Ernst Oppler that hangs today in the National Gallery in Berlin.
background
The Lady in Black is one of the numerous portraits that Oppler made during his time in Berlin. The painting was created in his apartment on Kurfürstenstrasse in front of a showcase with Chinese porcelain from his collection.
Photo Marburg describes it as follows: What is striking is the precise ability to observe and aptly capture the character traits of the lady, who appears very cool and self-confident, in contrast to the flickering light reflections in the china china and the glass of the showcase. The dark tone of the picture shows the influence of Whistler.
About an unspecified portrait, a critic wrote in Westermann's monthly magazine : That was not only due to me, but no less due to the artistic nature of Ernst Oppler, the painter of the great salons and the elegant ladies of the world, this oil painting by Oppler hangs in Wesendonk's music room , there is nowhere else I could think of. In my study, which is always somewhat untidy, the distinguished lady in the picture would turn up her nose.
The paintings
In 1923 the painting was shown at the Berlin Secession exhibition. A review was published in Die Woche .
During the National Socialist era, the painting was damaged in the area of the eyes (possibly by gunshots), this was remedied by a later restoration.
After 1945 the painting was owned by the Ministry of Finance of the GDR and was "donated" to the National Gallery in 1961. At that time it was Oppler's second painting in the National Gallery (East). Before the war, however, the old National Gallery owned other works by Oppler. In 1991 it became part of the collection of the reunified National Gallery with inventory number A III 497 .
Most recently it was part of the traveling exhibition Berlin Impressionism - Works of the Berlin Secession from the National Gallery .
In 2016, the painting was featured on the cover of Jim Pinnells' novel Ilona Lost .
Individual evidence
- ↑ [1] Accessed December 24, 2015.
- ↑ Westermanns Monatshefte , No. 152 1932, p. 550.
- ↑ Die Woche , No. 25, p. 1045, issues 41–52, 1923
- ↑ Jochen Bruns: Ernst Oppler. Dissertation on CD-ROM, G-192 Portrait of a woman in black
- ↑ Research and Reports , No. 11–12, p. 152. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Akademie-Verlag, 1968.