Woman’s Head, n. d.

Aside from pieces of artists of the Nötsch circle—named after the small Carinthian village that was home to the artists for at least some time in their lives—it is mainly the works of Herbert Boeckl (1894–1966) that make up an important part of the holdings of the Leopold Museum. With him, Arnold Clementschitsch had a friendship, in which the appreciation found expression in mutual painted portraits. Already during his time of study in Vienna he did portraits still entirely informed by academic tradition. This drawing shows the head of a woman in three-quarter view. The linework and hatching show a dynamic but trained drawing style. It is mainly the eyes with their markedly arched brows that move into the focus of the artistic composition. Even if the drawing may of course be understood as an autonomous work, it must presumably be seen in connection with a painted portrait. The question of who the woman portrayed is must remained unanswered for the time being, as female portraits are numerous in the artist’s oeuvre.

MS, 2021