Portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke
| Portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Paula Modersohn-Becker |
| Year | 1906 |
| Medium | oil and tempera on cardobard |
| Dimensions | 32.3 cm × 25.4 cm (12.7 in × 10.0 in) |
| Location | Ludwig Roselius Museum, Bremen |
The Portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke is an oil and tempera on cardboard painting by Paula Modersohn-Becker, from 1906. It is held in the Ludwig Roselius Museum, in Bremen.[1]
History and description
[edit]The Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke and the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker had been close friends since around 1901. In 1902, however, he didn't mentioned her, nor his own wife, Clara Westhoff, in his art book Worpswede über die Künstlerkolonie , about an artists colony.[2]
In 1906, Modersohn-Becker and Rilke were both living in a boarding house in Paris and had close contact with each other. This portrait was created at that time as an oil tempera on cardboard painting.[3][4]
The portrait focus on his head, depicting Rilke with a thoughtful and introspective expression, in earthy tones and expressive textures.
Afterwards, both returned to their families. Modersohn-Becker died the following year, shortly after giving birth to a child. The tragic loss deeply affected Rilke. He processed his grief in his poem Requiem for a Friend (1908).[5]
Rilke disliked the current portrait, despite his friendship with the artist. In 1922, Rilke wrote in a letter that he didn't liked any of the portraits that had been made of him so far, with the exception of a bust by Fritz Huf.[6]
Despite his disapproval, the depiction made by Modersohn-Becker became one the most famous of his portraits.
References
[edit]- ^ Portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke (1906) by Paula Modersohn-Becker, Artchive
- ^ Eric Torgerson, Dear Friend - Rainer Maria Rilke and Paula Modersohn-Becker, Northwestern University Press, 2000
- ^ Rainer Stamm (coordinator), Paula Modersohn-Becker. Briefwechsel mit Rainer Maria Rilke, Insel, nº 1242, 2003 (German)
- ^ Paula Modersohn-Becker — Early Expressionist Painter, Classic Chicago
- ^ Diane Radycki, Paula Modersohn-Becker - The First Modern Woman Artist, Yale University Press, 2013
- ^ Ingeborg Schnack (coordinator), Rainer Maria Rilke. Die Briefe an Gräfin Sizzo, 1921–1926, Insel, 1950/1977, pp. 22-23 (German)