An enigmatic portrait study of a bearded man by Austrian painter, Josef Huber-Feldkirch (1858-1932).

This unusual and highly atmospheric piece was probably painted quickly as it’s comprised of broad sweeping marks and little in the way of detail. Note how his eyes are simply dark sunken shadows yet also possess enough form to be identifiable.

We also love the background, which is simply a series of sweeping marks to give the form some definition.

Josef Huber-Feldkirch trained under church painter Franz Plattner and later studied at the Munich Art Academy. In 1887, he attended the illustrious Académie Julian in Paris.

Between 1909 and 1923, he worked as a professor of ecclesiastical monumental art at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and he was a member of the Düsseldorf artists' association.

The portrait is inscribed on the reverse and held within a later frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 16” x 18½” / 41cm x 47cm
Year of creation: c. 1887
Provenance: Germany
Condition: Craquelure. A bump on the right-hand side - probably caused by how the canvas has been laid. Otherwise as intended. Frame with some light age-related wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £1,197 achieved for ‘Atelier-Stimmung in der Malklasse Ludwig von Lofftz’ at an auction in 1991.