Portrait of Arthur Schnitzler, 1911

Through his participations in the Vienna Kunstschau exhibitions in 1908 and 1909, Max Oppenheimer (1885–1954) came into contact with eminent protagonists of Vienna’s art and culture scene, and was able to acquire lucrative commissions. At the same time, the artist experimented with Expressionist stylistic means, which manifested especially in reduced, clayey colors, a manner of painting committed to realism, and a focus on capturing the nature of a person. This can be seen, for instance, in the Portrait of Arthur Schnitzler, created in 1911. In 1938, Oppenheimer wrote about portraying the famous writer and physician Schnitzler (1862–1931) in Menschen finden ihren Maler [People Find Their Painter]: “With each portrait it is important to create a type that is timeless, so that it may continue to be of interest even once the impact of a person on the present has waned. — A portrait must be such a good piece of painting that it goes on, even if the interests that led to its creation have long been forgotten, for, ultimately, what is important is not the likeness but — the artwork. Arthur Schnitzler was initially not entirely convinced by my understanding of his person. He believed himself to be more balanced than he actually was. During the session at my bare studio, he wrote notes incessantly, even while standing up, […] and he seemed very worried about his work and fulfilled by it. When the portrait was finished, he said it was very felicitous, for, with painting, too, what mattered was directing, as he said, and through reduction you could often heighten the effect; this was something he had just learnt.”

AS, 2024