Portrait of Mrs. Josefa Ernst, 1856

The face of the old woman, portrayed by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793–1865), is illuminated by a soft light from the front, which makes it stand out against the dark planar background. Guided by a keen desire to stay true to reality, the artist confronts us with the deep furrows and wrinkles marking the aged face of Josefa Ernst, who appears to look past us, lost in her own thoughts, with a rigid, withdrawn gaze. The not entirely accurate center parting and the lace bonnet framing her features, held together by a large vermillion bow, serve to heighten the rendering’s austere overall effect. Waldmüller, who taught landscape painting at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, advocated the study of nature and plein-air painting with such vehemence that he ultimately lost his professorship. As one of the most prominent representatives of realistic depictions, the landscape painter was also highly successful in the portrait genre.

MH, 2023