Alexander von Zemlinsky 1908

Richard Gerstl made this portrait of Alexander von Zemlinsky using oil on canvas. There's something restless about the way Gerstl applies paint. He doesn't seem interested in smoothing things over or blending colors. The paint is applied in these short, choppy strokes, a kind of visual shorthand that invites us to complete the picture, and maybe even see the world as Gerstl did. Look at the way he renders Zemlinsky's white suit. It’s not just one flat color, but a whole symphony of whites, yellows, and blues. And the way the background kind of bleeds into the figure! It’s as if Zemlinsky is both present and dissolving, a solid form and a ghost all at once. I see echoes of Van Gogh’s expressive brushwork. But also a raw, almost brutal honesty that feels very much Gerstl's own. Like Van Gogh, he reminds us that painting isn't about perfect representation; it's about feeling, thinking, and seeing in new ways.