Portrait of a German Officer

Marsden Hartley

1914 · Oil on canvas · Modern and Contemporary Art

This monumental painting is the centerpiece of a series that evokes the dynamism, pageantry, and danger of life in Berlin during World War I. The painting’s collagelike appearance, dramatic color, and emotional brushwork attest to Hartley’s skillful synthesis of Cubism and German Expressionism. Hartley’s composition is an abstract portrait of Karl von Freyburg, a Prussian lieutenant whom the artist loved and who died in the war. Von Freyburg is portrayed symbolically with the initials, "K.v.F."; his regiment number, 4; his age at death, 24; and the Iron Cross that he received posthumously.

Artist

Marsden Hartley

Date

1914

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949