Portrait of the Composer Anton von Webern - Oskar Kokoschka
Archival giclée
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Description
A 1914 Expressionist portrait of composer Anton von Webern by Oskar Kokoschka, noted for its psychological intensity and raw, gestural brushwork.
Oskar Kokoschka painted this portrait of the Austrian composer Anton von Webern in 1914. The work captures the subject with the psychological intensity characteristic of the artist's early period in Vienna. Kokoschka employs a palette dominated by dark, moody tones, which contrast against the pale, almost sickly yellow hues used to model the composer's face and hands.
The brushwork is agitated and thick, conveying a sense of nervous energy. The subject is depicted against a murky, indistinct background, which pushes the figure forward and focuses the viewer's attention on the sitter's expression. Webern, a member of the Second Viennese School, is shown with a contemplative, somewhat melancholic gaze. His features are rendered with distortion, a common technique in Kokoschka's portraiture to reveal the inner state of the sitter rather than a mere physical likeness.
This painting belongs to a period when Kokoschka was deeply involved in the intellectual circles of Vienna, interacting with figures such as Arnold Schoenberg and Adolf Loos. The portrait avoids traditional academic finish, opting instead for a raw, immediate application of paint that aligns with the broader goals of the Expressionist movement. The composition is tight, focusing on the head and shoulders, which creates an intimate and somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere. The play of light across the forehead and cheekbones suggests a source of illumination that is both harsh and revealing, further adding to the dramatic quality of the piece. This print reproduces the textured surface of the original oil painting, allowing for a close examination of the artist's gestural technique.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Portrait of the Composer Anton von Webern - Oskar Kokoschka
Artist Biography
Oskar Kokoschka
He was born in 1886 in Pochlarn, Austria. He was shot through the head in Ukraine and bayoneted in the chest in Russia. He survived both.
After the war, he commissioned a Munich dollmaker named Hermine Moos to create a life-size replica of Alma, sending detailed instructions about the feel of her skin and the weight of her body. Moos covered the figure in feathers instead. Kokoschka eventually staged a public execution: he decapitated the doll and smashed a bottle of wine over its head on his lawn. The police arrived the next morning, thinking he had murdered a woman.
The Nazis declared him a degenerate artist. He fled Czechoslovakia for London after the Munich Agreement and became a British citizen in 1947. His Expressionist portraits are among the most psychologically penetrating of the twentieth century: raw, agitated surfaces that seem to expose the sitter's interior state. He lived to ninety-four.
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