Artwork
Selbstbildnis mit Pinseln
Selbstbildnis mit Pinseln is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Ottilie Roederstein. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich. Created in 1917, this oil painting portrays a woman artist holding a brush, rendered in a muted palette of greens, whites, and beige.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1917, this oil painting portrays a woman artist holding a brush, rendered in a muted palette of greens, whites, and beige. The work exemplifies the Impressionist approach to light and surface, and it is part of the permanent collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is the painter herself, identifiable by her short gray hair and the brush she grips in her right hand. Her direct gaze and composed expression convey a quiet confidence, emphasizing the professional identity of a woman artist at a time when such self‑representation was uncommon.
Technique & Style
The composition relies on layered translucent washes that build subtle tonal variations, a method akin to glazing. Brushwork is loose yet controlled, allowing the fabric of the dark‑green top and the pale background to suggest volume without precise detail, characteristic of late‑Impressionist sensibilities.
History & Provenance
Ottilie Wilhelmine Roederstein, a German‑Swiss painter linked personally to physician Elisabeth Winterhalter, executed the piece during the final years of World War I. After remaining in private hands, the canvas entered the Kunsthaus Zürich’s holdings, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s early‑20th‑century European painting collection.
Context
The painting emerges from a period when women were increasingly asserting their presence in the visual arts. Roederstein’s choice to depict herself at work aligns with broader Impressionist interests in everyday subjects, while also reflecting the artist’s own negotiation of professional and personal identity within the Swiss art scene.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ottilie Wilhelmine Roederstein (22 April 1859 – 26 November 1937) was a German-Swiss painter. She was the long-time companion of Elisabeth Winterhalter, one of the first female doctors in Germany.
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