Portrait of Oskar Kokoschka, Oil on Canvas 14x11", © Copyright 2011 Alan Derwin
Portrait of Oskar Kokoschka
19 01 2011Alan Derwin Art
(where oil collides with canvas at the speed of expression)
Portrait of Oskar Kokoschka, Oil on Canvas 14x11", © Copyright 2011 Alan Derwin
Alan Derwin Art 
Love that portrait of Kokoschka, great work!
Hello,
I would like to ask if anyone knows anything about this painting (especially date and where it is exhibited now, and also where can I find these information).
I am an MA student of History of Art, and I am writting an essay on Kokoschka’s work, and I am really interested in this self-portrait.
Thanks!
Hello, thank you for your comments. Kokoschka will be a great subject for your essay.
> I am the artist who painted this Portrait of Oskar Kokoschka. It was completed in January 2011.
> It is currently on exhibit at the Falkirk Cultural Center in San Rafael, California, through May 28, 2011.
If I can help you further, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to be of assistance.
Thank you again.
Alan Derwin
Hello,
This is a great work! I was just wondering if this portrait is made after a specific self-portrait of Kokoschka…
Thanks!
Thanks. My painting of Kokoschka wasn’t based on any Kokoschka self portraits. Basically what I did was study Kokoschka as a person, got an overall sense of his life, experiences and work, which then gave me a better sense of how to go about painting the portrait. For visual images, I worked from some black and white photos as a starting point, then applied my own personal interpretation, imagination, technique, and colors.
I really think Kokoschka is great and his life is very interesting, so it made this particular painting a very gratifying one to do.
Thank you again for your nice comments.
Alan
It is very interesting how you succeeded to depict Kokoschka’s life in a portrait; I was wondering whether you had in mind the fact that he suffered from shell-shock (as a result of his experiences in World War I) while you were working on this portrait, as it seems to me that you managed to give the impression of a mentally restless man through the choice of the colours, and the hectic brushstrokes!
Kokoschka’s WWI injuries were definitely taken in to account as I prepared to do the painting. It was sort of like studying for an acting role, like an actor preparing to “get in to character”. I looked at Kokoschka’s life, his work, my impression of his personality. Once I started the painting process I didn’t think about anything. I just let my imagination and instincts take over so that the process would occur naturally, applying colors and brushstrokes depending on how I felt at that particular moment.
Compliments on this work! I am also a fan of K’s work and deeply interested in art history. It’s good to see other painters remarking on his work. –