Man in a hat 1905

Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan made this portrait of a ‘Man in a Hat’ with ink and watercolor on paper, at some unknown date. It’s difficult to look at this portrait outside of its historical context. Weisz-Kubínčan was a Jewish artist who was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. The Slovak State, where he lived and worked, was a puppet regime of Nazi Germany. Looking at the image, we see the side profile of a man wearing what appears to be a military hat. His gaze is fixed and his expression seems calm. But this is not a celebration of militarism, and in fact may represent the opposite. As an art historian, I am interested in questions of historical context. The stark contrasts and somber tones speak to a world on the brink of unimaginable horrors. Further research into Weisz-Kubínčan’s biography and the history of Jewish artists in Slovakia during the Second World War helps us to interpret this portrait as a poignant commentary on the fragility of human life under oppressive regimes.