A portrait by Richard Gerstl, 'Waldemar Unger II' captures the sitter with a direct gaze and melancholic expression. The visible brushwork and restrained colour palette add to the painting's psychological intensity.

Richard Gerstl was an Austrian painter known for his intense, emotionally charged portraits and innovative approach to colour and form. A contemporary of artists like Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele, Gerstl is considered an important, if tragic, figure in early Expressionism. His life was marked by personal turmoil, and his career was cut short by his suicide at the age of 25. Despite his brief career, his work had a significant impact on the development of Austrian Expressionism. This portrait, titled 'Waldemar Unger II', depicts a young man in formal attire. The subject is rendered with a direct gaze and a somewhat melancholic expression. Gerstl's brushwork is visible, adding a sense of immediacy and rawness to the painting. The colour palette is restrained, with muted tones of brown, black, and white, punctuated by the pinkish hues of the subject's face. The background is dark and indistinct, which serves to focus attention on the figure. The sitter's features are individualised, but the overall effect is one of psychological intensity, typical of Gerstl's portraits.