Son Peter (sitting), 1918

The Artist’s Son Peter (sitting) of 1918 shows Anton Faistauer’s (1887–1930) child from his first marriage to Ida Andersen who would remain his favorite model until her death in 1919. She was the sister of his fellow painter and friend Robin Christian Andersen (1890–1969) with whom he had attended private painting classes with Robert Scheffer (1859–1934). Already dressed for school, the son is sitting in a red chair, with ruddy cheeks and a focused gaze. Maybe be this was a typical early morning scene from the family’s day-to-day life before Peter had to get on his way to school. The dark but intense warm colors speak to Faistauer’s studies of Baroque and Renaissance painting. The swift and sweeping painting style and several less elaborated parts of the picture suggest that overall impression was more important in the creation than detailing.

RR, 2021