Henriette M

Marie-Louise von Motesiczky 1906 - 1996

Summary

Head and shoulders portrait of the artist's mother, an elderly woman with white hair and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. There is the suggestion of window frame and dark curtain to the right, framing the portrait against strongly lit interior. A hanging basket is suspended to the left of the mother's head, and an oval window frame to the right exposes more foliage. Decorative marks in orange and blue suggest the patterning on the shawl.

Display Label

Henriette M 1961 Marie-Louise von Motesiczky 1906 – 96 oil on canvas Henriette M was the artist’s mother, a cultured lady from a Viennese banking family. Motesiczky’s father had died when she was three, and her brother was killed by the Nazis. Mother and daughter fled their native Austria in 1939 and spent the rest of their lives in London. Motesiczky painted portraits of her mother from 1936. Henriette came to live with her daughter in 1959, after which the portraits of her become more poignant as they chart her gradual decline into old age. Here, Henriette is framed by a thin veil of black pigment, perhaps representing a curtained window. This device distances and isolates the old lady. Purchased with assistance from the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and The Art Fund 1995.139