Lot 1561 Dα

The satirical picture book tales of “Max und Moritz” and “Fromme Helene” are among the best-known works of late 19th German literature. The witty caricatures with which Wilhelm Busch, like Honoré Daumier before him, enlivened his moralising tales and captured the people of his times in their all too human guises are some of this era's most well-known images. In his painted oeuvre, which comprises mainly small format landscapes with bucolic motifs and changeable weather or tavern scenes, the caricaturist was heavily inspired by the Netherlandish painters of the 17th century. Portraits such as this one are rarer and they reflect Wilhelm Busch's fundamental talent as a painter.
The sitter's face is shown close up and turned away from the painter. He models the old man's rosy cheeks in pastose brush strokes, taking time to render each strand of his sparse, forward combed hair and make sure the image of the face blends into the plain dark background. The sensitive depiction of the sitter, subtle use of light and glaze-like appearance of the paint indicate the influence of the contemporary portraits of artists such as Hans von Marées and Wilhelm Leibl. The poetic mood, colour palette, and delicate brushwork testify to Wilhelm Busch's ability to depict his subjects in an immediate, naturalistic way.