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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
The Ruth Borchard Collection
Piano Nobile, Kings Place, 90 York Way, Greater London N1 9AG England
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Jack Cadman, Blacksmith Girton College, University of Cambridge -
Dame Mary Cartwright Girton College, University of Cambridge -
Sir Eric Ashby (1904–1992), Master of Clare College, Cambridge Glasgow Museums Resource Centre (GMRC) -
Rajesh Patel, Shop Owner Girton College, University of Cambridge -
Lady Gass (Elizabeth Acland Hood), High Sheriff of Somerset Somerset Museums Service -
Lisa Dunwood, Teacher Girton College, University of Cambridge -
Dame Mary Cartwright Girton College, University of Cambridge - 11 more
