Double Portrait (green background) 1908

Richard Gerstl made this double portrait with a green background using oil paints. The colour palette is interesting here, with the bright green backdrop almost fighting with the figures who are painted with dark tones and small touches of red. Looking closely at the surface, the brushstrokes seem applied quickly, with thick impasto. This gives a tangible, almost sculptural quality to the paint. See how Gerstl uses these loaded brushstrokes to define the contours of the faces and clothing? This immediacy resonates emotionally, it feels like the paint is still wet, the moment still alive. Look at the purple shirt on the left figure, see how he uses flicks of red and violet to define the folds in the material. Gerstl reminds me of Soutine in the way he loads the paint and uses it to convey the feeling of the subject, not just the likeness. Like a conversation between artists, Gerstl’s work invites us to appreciate the open-ended dialogue that art fosters across generations.