Schonberg Family 1908

Richard Gerstl made this painting of the Schonberg Family using oil on canvas. Look at those brushstrokes! They’re alive, like the painting is breathing. You can almost feel the artist wrestling with the image, trying to capture something elusive about these people, their relationships, their inner lives. I wonder what it was like for Gerstl to stand before this family, palette in hand, trying to make sense of them through paint. The yellow background feels like a burst of nervous energy, doesn’t it? And then there’s that dark blue figure, almost consumed by shadow, but still present, still part of the group. The way Gerstl used paint—thick, raw, and full of feeling—reminds me of other artists who were pushing the boundaries of representation. I think of people like Paula Modersohn-Becker, who were trying to get at something deeper than just appearances. Ultimately, it is all about keeping the conversation going, isn’t it? We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to make sense of this crazy world through color and form.