Kokoschka Portraits

Follow an artist poet and playwright oskar kokoschka is known for his expressionistic portraits and landscapes.

Kokoschka portraits. The second child of gustav josef kokoschka a czech goldsmith and maria romana kokoschka née loidl oskar kokoschka was born in pöchlarn. Oskar kokoschka 1 march 1886 22 february 1980 was an austrian artist poet and playwright best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes. Here kokoschka portrays an anonymous middle aged man a rentmeister something like an estate manager or appraiser. Characterized by staccato brushstrokes and bright colors the artist created works that seem to shiver with energy.

In a television interview in 1966 kokoschka said that he was interested in a person s aura in space. His older brother died in infancy. His eyes are asymmetrical half opened and looking down avoiding the gaze of the artist and the spectator. When working on his portraits kokoschka would ask his sitters to ignore his presence and to be as relaxed as possible.

Oskar kokoschka was an austrian artist and poet known for his expressionist portraits and landscapes. Characterised by an emotive use of colour and line his portraits focus on the inner life of the sitter. He often made his models look older as if he could see into the future. Throughout his life kokoschka was concerned with expressing human character and psychology through effects of color formal distortion and violent brushwork.

In the 1930s kokoschka s paintings were classed as degenerate by the nazi regime. Kokoschka s portraits show us how he viewed mankind and the world.