911/​122

Bertha Wegmann (b. Soglio, Switzerland 1847, d. Copenhagen 1926)

The artist's self-portrait. Signed B. Wegmann. Oil on canvas. 46×37 cm.

Bertha Wegmann’s large-scale production included both genre paintings, landscapes, interiors, and still lifes, but she also became one of the most prominent and sought-after portrait painters of her time. In addition to portraying her family and loved ones, she made numerous portraits commissioned by the cultural and economic elite. She also made a number of self-portraits, and the present painting is a rare example of an early self-portrait by the artist.

Wegmann has depicted herself in a half-length portrait, with an intense look at the viewer, and with a slightly turned head, which creates a significant light and shadow effect on the face. The self-portrait is painted with fast and virtuoso brushwork. While the focus is on the face itself, the background is loosely defined by visible brushstrokes applied quickly in many directions, so that she appears as if caught in a fleeting moment.

The painting is presumably from the same period as, or slightly later than, a photograph, which, however, is not dated. It shows a young Wegmann with the same hairstyle, black dress and with the characteristic strong jaw and small dimple in the chin.

The dark colours could indicate that the self-portrait was made during her time in Munich, where she moved to in 1867 and stayed for the following 13 years in order to further her education and develop herself as an artist. Here, she became, among other things, influenced by the German style of painting and slightly heavy palette. However, the strong light in the background and the loose brushstrokes may point in the direction that it was painted a little later, since Wegmann had several study trips and longer stays in Paris from 1879 and up through the 1880s, where she was influenced by French Naturalism and Impressionism.

Additional Remarks

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Auction

Paintings and drawings, 29 November 2022

Category
Estimate

400,000–600,000 DKK

Price realised

Not sold