Portrait of Isolde Ahlgrimm (Woman in White Blouse), c. 1938

Isolde Fiale (née Ahlgrimm) (1914–1995) was a pianist and had a professorship for cembalo at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts. She was especially interested in music from the Baroque and Classical periods which she performed together with her husband on original historical instruments. With near-monochromatic and subdued coloration, the entire painting is articulated in shades of gray. The impressive musician depicted in Josef Dobrowsky’s (1889–1964) Portrait of Isolde Ahlgrimm is pale-skinned and looks introvertedly out of the picture. One of her arms is reaching for something, the elbow of the other is propped on the armrest of her chair. Radiating graceful elegance, she looks boyish, mysterious, and fascinating.

RR, 2021