German Jewish caricaturist, painter, and lithographer Hans Rewald was quite successful in the 1920s into the 1930s within the film and entertainment industry of Germany. Born in Berlin on October 1, 1886, little documentation remains for Rewald because after the May 1939 census, he is next documented as deported with 1,159 people by Nazi train from Grunewald on March 17, 1942 to Theresienstadt in the Czech Republic. Then, on October 10, 1944, he was transported with 1,545 other people to Auschwitz, Poland where he was murdered by the Nazis. Rewald created many depictions of famous German film stars as well as numerous illustrations and posters for German movies; however, the identity of the young stylish woman in this watercolor work remains unidentified. She is the central focus, occupying most of the canvas. Her fair, almost pale complexion, light colored eyes, reddish-pink unsmiling lips, and lightly rouge cheeks all draw our attention within the dark purple setting. Her beauty is framed by her dark hair styled under a close-fitting modern cap and a stylish black coat with a large, dark fur collar, and, most importantly, a long, bright cerulean blue scarf draped around her neck. A partially visible gold-framed gray-ish picture depicting flowers hangs on the wall over her left shoulder (to our right). Rewald's portrait evokes a sense of quiet elegance and perhaps a hint of melancholy due to the color palette and the woman's expression. It's a snapshot into the pre-Nazi world of German society in 1931 -- not only of artistic freedoms, but also style and identity expression through a fashionable feminine silhouette.
Der blaue Schal (The Blue Scarf) by Hans Rewald (German) - Watercolor / 1931 #womeninart #watercolor #art #artwork #painting #fashion #1930s #GermanArtist #JewishArtist #HolocaustVictim #HansRewald #Rewald #NeverForget #portraitofawoman #womensart #portraitofalady #bskyart #artoftheday #artbsky
