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1889 Vienna – 1974 Paris
- Title
- „Portrait de jeune femme“
- Time
- around 1950
- signed
- lower right: “W. Eisenschitz”
- Technique
- oil on plate
- Measurements
- 21 ½ × 18 in
Willy Eisenschitz was born in Vienna in 1889 to a wealthy Jewish family of lawyers. He entered the Academy of Fine Arts in 1911 but continued his studies at the famous Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris the following year in 1912. Inspired by Cubism, Expressionism, Fauvism and above all the paintings of Paul Cézanne, Eisenschitz developed an independent style characterized by expressive brushstrokes, balanced compositions, geometrization and the autonomization of color. The high quality of the young painter’s work was rewarded by a lively exhibition activity on the hotly contested Parisian art scene. One of the highlights of his successful career as an artist was being awarded a gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1937.
During his study trips, Eisenschitz discovered his love for the south of France and in 1927 he moved with his family to the former monastery “Les Minimes” in La Valette-du Var, built around 1600 and today a district of Toulon. This new home gave him some of his happiest years, characterized by exchanges with numerous artists and full of cheerful musical evenings.
This portrait of a young woman in a summer dress was probably painted in that house on the Côte d’Azur. The model sits in a garden chair in a relaxed posture and gazes confidently at the painter. The vibrant colors of the striped fabric and the golden light of Provence flatter the sun-tanned skin of the nameless beauty. With this work, Eisenschitz has created a pictorial declaration of love to the south of France and its unique savoir-vivre.