Transcript:
Gabriele Münter considered portrait painting “the boldest and the most difficult, the most spiritual, the most extreme task for the artist.” She strove to transcend mere outward appearance, aiming instead to capture the sitter’s “inner life.” Her vision suggests an empathy toward other people and an astute understanding of the human condition.

Her early forays into portraiture reveal techniques she developed during her itinerant years, particularly in Paris in 1906–07. There, she encountered the Fauves (“wild beasts”), including Henri Matisse, whose daring use of nonnaturalistic color signaled new directions in art. Upon returning to Germany, Münter adopted an expressive palette, portraying neighbors, friends, and artistic colleagues.

An emphasis on the human figure reemerged during her years in Scandinavia, from 1915 to 1920, as she navigated the complicated affiliations and differences of her émigré status. Whether painting solitary figures or groups, she employed a more graphic style and softer colors. In the following decade, without regular access to a dedicated studio, Münter described her sketchbook as a constant companion. She filled its pages with drawings of people she furtively observed from city to city.

In 1952, Münter reflected on her sustained commitment to figuration: “The task of representing the human being is so great that I never felt myself tempted to go beyond it, for example to dissolve the human appearance, to submit it to willful reconstructions and to replace it with non-objective imagery.”

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