Portrait of artist's mother

Gustav Wimmer, a Szczecin dweller, learnt trading and simultaneously attended painting lessons given by Reinhold Hoberg. To continue his artistic education, he left for Berlin and studied there between 1897 and 1901. Wimmer made a study trip to Italy and visited Rome and Florence. After studies, he returned to Szczecin. In 1913, in the newly-opened Szczecin Municipal Museum, his painting “A Summer Day in the Beech Forest” was presented. In 1937, the Szczecin Museum Society organised a retrospective exhibition of his works to celebrate the painter’s 60th birthday. In 1944, the artist evacuated to Heringsdorf, and later moved to Frisia; he died in March 1964 in Kiel. Wimmer’s artistic works are quite uniform: they comprise Pomeranian landscapes in the fin de siécle spirit. The pieces are a testimony of the artist’s faithfulness to his own style, confirming his sensitivity to light and colour. It is expressed by a blurry form and a colourful haze. Apart from landscapes, Wimmer’s works also include portraits. The “Portrait of Mother in a Black Dress” held by the National Museum in Szczecin, was completed in 1931, shortly after the woman's death. The woman with grey hair arranged in a small bun is presented against grey background, subtly broken with light green colour. She is wearing a modest black dress, buttoned up to the neck, with a small coral brooch. The viewer’s attention is attracted by her peaceful and dignified look. Several other presentations of the artist’s mother are also known. In 1901, two illustrations presenting the parents’ heads in the form of portraits were made. The “Portrait of Mother” from 1910 has been preserved on a wooden support, whereas another one is a large-format presentation “Portrait of Mother in Forest” and was executed as an oil painting on canvass in 1915. There is also an oil sketch on the cardboard from 1919. The last portrait of the mother, from approx. 1902, namely “Self-Portrait with Mother” is only known from sources, as it was cut up by the painter.

Dariusz Kacprzak