014 - Marianne von Werefkin and Gabriele Münter, Portrait of Rosalie Leiß, 1909

Marianne von Werefkin and Gabriele Münter, Portrait of Rosalie Leiß, 1909

014 - Marianne von Werefkin and Gabriele Münter, Portrait of Rosalie Leiß, 1909

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In this room we find Rosalie Leiß from Murnau portrayed twice. In 1909 she posed as a model for both Marianne von Werefkin and Gabriele Münter. It can be assumed that this was the same session, which probably lasted several days. In both cases the face is framed by a striking black headscarf, the brightly embroidered ends of which fall forward over the shoulder. A tightly knotted, light-colored scarf creates the transition to the high-necked green jacket dress with apron. In Werefkin's portrait, the long-sleeved dress in dark blue-green is decorated with a purple striped apron; in Gabriele Münter's portrait, the woman from Murnau wears a moss green version with a blue apron. Although both painters have framed the coloured areas in outlines, each artist uses this stylistic device in her own way: in Marianne Werefkin's case, the delimiting lines are only indicated, while in Gabriele Münter's case, they are reminiscent of Alexej Jawlensky's paintings and stand out clearly in dark black, as do the individual brushstrokes on the face, jacket and apron. The background design of both pictures also differs from one another. While Werefkin stays tone-in-tone with the green of the clothing, Münter has opted for the complementary contrast in strong red. This colour treatment can also be found in the depiction of the face: while the red background in Münter's case is also taken up in the shaded eyes and mouth area of the farmer's wife, the green background in Werefkin's case is reflected in the green eyes of the person portrayed. The biggest difference, however, lies in the choice of image section and the direction of gaze. As if she were observing an event far outside the picture, Münter's Rosalie Leiß looks slightly turned away from the picture to the side. The viewer does not seem to be of any interest to her. Her hand rests loosely on her walking stick, the other is placed on the edge of her apron. The larger detail and the averted gaze create distance from the person depicted. The portrait attracts attention through the large-scale painterly design with strong color contrasts. It is quite different with Werefkin's portrait. A pair of alert eyes looks straight at the viewer from the slightly reddened face. The mouth smiles timidly, creating a binding closeness.