Richard Gerstl (September 14 1883 –
November 4 1908) was an Austrian painter and draughtsman known for his expressive psychologically insightful portraits, his lack of
critical acclaim during his lifetime, and his affair with the wife of Arnold
Schoenberg which led to his suicide.
Early in his life, Gerstl decided to become an artist, much to the dismay of his father. After performing poorly in school and
being forced to leave the famed Piaristengymnasium in Vienna as a result of "disciplinary
difficulties," his financially stable parents provided him with private tutors. In 1898, at the age of fifteen, Gerstl was
accepted the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna where he studied under the
notoriously opinionated and difficult Christian Griepenkerl. Gerstl began to
reject the style of the Vienna Secession and what he felt was pretentious art. This
eventually prompted his vocal professor to proclaim, "The way you paint, I piss in the snow!"
Frustrated with the lack of acceptance of his non-secessionist painting style, Gerstl continued to paint without any formal
guidance for two years. For the summers of 1900 and 1901, Gerstl studied under the guidance of Simon Hollósy in Nagybánya. Inspired by the more liberal leanings of
Heinrich Lefler, Gerstl once again attempted formal education. Unfortunately, his refusal to participate in a procession in honor
of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria further ostracized him and led to his
departure. Gerstl felt that taking part in such an event was "unworthy of an artist." His final exit from Lefler's studio took
place in 1908.
In 1904 and 1905, Gerstl shared a studio with his former academy classmate and friend, Viktor Hammer. Although Hammer had
assisted in Gerstl's admittance to Lefler's tutelage and their relationship was friendly, it is difficult to determine how close
the two gentlemen were as Gerstl did not associate himself with other artists. Regardless of their personal feelings, by 1906,
Gerstl had acquired his own personal studio.
Although Gerstl did not associate with other artists, he did feel drawn to the musically inclined. He attempted to gain the
favor of composer Gustav Mahler and began to develop ties to others with musical
interests. In 1905, he began to associate himself with Arnold Schoenberg and
Alexander von Zemlinsky. Gerstl and Schoenberg developed a mutual admiration
based upon each individual's talents. Gerstl apparently instructed Schoenberg in art and became close enough to be invited to
accompany Schoenberg and his associates on their summer visits to Gmunden in 1907 and 1908.
During this time, Gerstl also painted several portraits of Schoenberg, his family, and his friends. These portraits also
included paintings of Schoenberg's wife Mathilde. Gerstl and Mathilde became extremely close and, in August 1908, she left her
husband and children to travel to Vienna with Gerstl. Schoenberg was in the midst of composing his Second Quartet for Strings and
after much persuasion and threats of suicide, Mathilde rejoined him in October.
Distraught by the loss of Mathilde, his isolation from his associates, and his lack of artistic acceptance, Gerstl entered his
studio during the night of November 4, 1908 and apparently burned every letter and piece of paper he could find. Although many
paintings survived the fire, it is believed that a great deal of his artwork as well as personal biographical papers and letters
were destroyed during the evening. Other than his paintings, only eight drawings are known to have survived unscathed. After the
cremation of the paper documentation regarding his life, Gerstl proceeded to hang himself in front of his studio mirror and
further ensured his fatality by stabbing himself.
The incident had a significant impact on Arnold Schoenberg and his work Die Glückliche Hand (The Lucky Hand) is said to
be based on these events.
After his suicide at the age of twenty-five, his family took the surviving paintings out of Gerstl's studio and stored them in
a warehouse until his brother Alois showed them to the art dealer Otto Kallir in 1930 or 1931. Although Gerstl had never managed
to exhibit a show during his lifetime, Kallir organized an exhibition at his Neue Galerie. Shortly afterwards, the Nazi presence
in Austria hindered the further acclaim of the artist and it was not until after the war that Gerstl was known in the United
States. Sixty-six paintings and eight drawings attributed to Gerstl are known, although it is possible he destroyed many more or
that others could have been lost over the years.
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