Academic Nude Master Drawing

Professor Alois Gabl (1845-1893)

B. 1845 Wenns, Tiroler Pitztal. D. 1893 München.

Gold Medal Berlin 1874, Munich 1879.

Untitled male nude from behind, with six portrait sketches in profile.

A masterful nude academic study by Swiss/German academic artist Alois, or Alods Gabl, of a male figure from behind, with six impromptu portrait sketches down the right-hand side. Signed with dates on the back, undated. There is an entry in Wikipedia in German.

This drawing is incredibly subtle and sensitively done with charcoal, pencil, and chalk on toned paper. This artwork has been in my collection for 14 years and needs a good home. We are open to reasonable offers.

Excellent for age, some slight large spotting on paper, see image,

I have tweaked one of the scans to show more contrast of the image; we have tried to show it as accurately as possible.

Dimensions: 44.5 x 30.5 cm. Fits an A3 matt/ as it's slightly larger than the window.

Alois Gabl

Alois Gabl (born September 24, 1845, in Wenns near St. Leonhard in the Tyrolean Pitztal; † March 2, 1893, in Munich ) was an Austrian painter and draftsman.

Gabl came from a family of bakers and had several siblings. After attending school for only a short time, he earned his living in his uncle's shop. Since he could hardly afford private lessons, Gabl tried to teach himself how to draw. When the Prince Bishop of Brixen Vinzenz Gasser became aware of him, he offered Gabl a grant of 100 guilders a year.

In October 1862, at the age of 17, Gabl was able to attend the art academy in Munich as a student. His teachers were there, i.a., Johann von Schraudolph, Arthur von Ramberg and Karl Theodor von Piloty. According to the wishes of his patron, Gabl was to receive special training in church painting from Schraudolph. Gabl later switched to Ramberg and then to Piloty, as he was much more interested in history and genre painting.

According to his own statements, the compatriots and painters Franz Defregger and Mathias Schmid had a great influence on him. Gabl even took Defregger's picture of Speckbacher as a model for his picture of Haspinger cheering on the Tyroleans to fight; With this work, Gabl caused quite a stir in 1872 on the occasion of an exhibition in Vienna.

At the age of 33, the art academy in Munich initially hired Gabl as an assistant teacher, then appointed him a professor in 1880 and entrusted him with a teaching position. Here Simon Hollósy became one of his students. [2] However, already in 1882, due to illness, Gabl had to resign from all offices. No longer in control of himself due to his depression and nervous disorders, Gabl tried to kill himself during a stay in his Tyrolean homeland.

Gabl lived the rest of his life in Munich, only interrupted by several hospital and spa stays. During this time, hardly any paintings were created and only very few drawings. At the age of 47, the painter killed himself on March 2, 1893, in Munich. The time of death cannot be determined precisely (possibly February 27, 1893 [3] ) since the body was not found until March 4, 1893.