The oil painting was painted by German painter Hermann Graf, who specialized in interiors. In the upper part of the composition there are other works of painting, which adds to the mystery and a demonstration of the artist's skills. The whole painting is kept in peachy, warm colors.
- Oil on board
- Dimensions (clear frame): 72.5 x 63 cm
Framed: 88.5 x 78.5 cm - The painting is signed in the center of the upper edge: HERM. GRAF. Wr.
- On the reverse: Herm. Graf Weimar.
Hermann Graf
Hermann Graf was born in 1873 in Frankfurt am Main as the son of Franz Josef Graf. He lived in Weimar and studied painting there with Max Thedy, a German painter, designer and engraver. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in the studios of Karl von Marr and Ludwig von Löfftz. He died in Weimar in 1940.
His work shows inspiration from the paintings of the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. He was fascinated by the way light falls on various objects. He created compositions in austere interiors, where light shyly fell through the window illuminating individual objects. Like Vermeer, he placed other images in his works. In Vermeer' s The Girl Sitting by the Virgin, a painting by Dirck van Baburen titled The Mistress is placed behind the main figure. Similarly, in Graf's painting titled Interior with Antiques and Uniform Draped on a Chair , there is a portrait of a woman in the background. Some of Graf's works show women performing everyday activities, which are depicted similarly to those in Vermeer's paintings. The German painter's work also includes portraits, still lifes and Mannerist landscapes.
Hermann Graf is listed on the worldwide art market. Most of his works have been auctioned in Germany in recent years, but the painter is known in Austria, France, Sweden or Spain. His paintings also appeared at auction in the United States in 2019.
