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Notes
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Schwarz was a subtle and perceptive portraitist. Borchard wrote to him in 1963, paying £15 for his c.1950 self portrait. He is shown in his south London studio. Light filters through the curtains illuminating the clutter. The figure is dark; light falling to make the right-hand side glisten. His attitude suggests peaceful introspection but it’s impossible to discover the facial expression. Mundane objects around him take on an elusive air. The empty chair evokes the absence of a model, seemingly beckoning the spectator to sit for him. The looming, empty easel suggests the creative juncture where no picture is being painted, the next being inwardly conceived. Schwarz’s dull early palette, ‘consisted of black, white, yellow ochre, Prussian blue, raw umber, burnt umber and Venetian red.
The Jewish Schwarz attended art school in Vienna from 1937–1938, but was forced by the Nazis to leave. He came to England in 1939, a 16-year-old refugee. He went to art school in Birmingham, only realising the importance of painting in his 40s. Many works are now in the National Portrait Gallery.
The Ruth Borchard Collection
Title
Self Portrait
Date
c.1950
Medium
oil on board
Measurements
H 65.5 x W 53 cm
Accession number
PCF106
Acquisition method
acquired by Ruth Borchard as part of the original collection
Work type
Painting
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