F. Kampf Portrait of a Young Musician

An original 1916 oil painting, F. Kampf, Portrait of a Young Musician.

This arresting small German School portrait is dated 1916 and signed F. Kampf. Painted at the height of the First World War, the identity of the sitter is unclear, but the portrait captures the innocence of his youth—red-lipped and rose-cheeked—and something mournful in his eyes.

F. Kampf possibly has some connection to the Düsseldorf School artist Arthur Kampf (1864–1950), whose brother Eugen Kampf and son Herbert Wolfram Kampf were also artists. The impressionistic influence evident in the present portrait is not dissimilar to Arthur Kampf's style—the juxtaposition of dark and light, and the Whistlerian backdrop, with visible brushstrokes. The painting is afforded a powerful intimacy through its pared back palette and small scale, and a sense of human connection transcends the painting's place and time.

Oil on wooden panel, with German inscriptions verso, possibly giving another name (indistinct) and date 'April 1916'. Stamped verso: 'Cat B 4'.

Presented in its original simple painted wood frame.