(Nimptsch, Lower Silesia 1864–1933 St. Georgen)
“Elisabeth”, signed Georg Schuster-Woldan, oil on canvas, 126 x 99 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection, Vienna.

Illustrated in:
Vom Fels zum Meer (together with “Gartenlaube”), year XXV, vol. I, no. 4, p. 80.

Enclosed:
Kunstgeschichtliches aus Landsberg am Lech, vol. 4, Georg Schuster-Woldan.

Born in Niemcza in the German province of Silesia, Georg Schuster-Woldan’s works (1864-1833) were heavily rooted in German mythology and fairy tales. He originally started his studies at the Antiquities School of the Academy in Stuttgart, but he later continued under the mentorship of Frank Kirchbach in Munich, after completing his military service in the Bavarian army. Schuster was also a member of the board of the Luitpold group, which advertised modernity in painting while emphasizing a high artistic quality. For a time, Schuster was known for his large scale legendary and fairy tale paintings which attracted great attention in his exhibitions. This choice of subject matter made his works playful and interactive, a quality he kept even in his later works, when he focussed on portraits of women and children.

This work from 1913 shows a young girl, whose name - Elisabeth – is written on the wall beside her. She looks away from the viewer with a pensive and slightly serious expression. Schuster manages to caption the authenticity and purity of childhood through his use of faded tones and soft highlights. The girl’s dress, the falling hairlocks and the fuchsia roses also help create a delicate atmosphere. The paint is applied in a realistic, yet slightly blurred manner, which further reflects the dreaminess of the girl. The work is not a typical portrait, as Georg Schuster-Woldan emphasizes the innocence and sweetness of childhood through rosy colours and gentle tones, rather than focussing on the identity of the sitter.