Othello (Corinth)
Othello, also known as Sailor, is an oil on canvas painting by the German painter Lovis Corinth, from 1884. It is a bust portrait of a black man who was a dock worker or sailor from the port of Antwerp, Belgium. The artist signed the painting in the upper left and titled it in the upper right with the words: "Un Othello". It was in the Lentos Art Museum, in Linz, since 1953, until when it was restituted to the family of his former owners, and later auctioned, in 2015. It is now in a private collection.
History
The painting is an early work by Corinth and was made during a staying in Antwerp. In 1884, Corinth went there for three months and studied under Belgian painter, in whose studio he made this canvas and also a portrait of Gorge himself. The man portrayed is a dock worker or a sailor from Antwerp. Lothar Brauner places this painting in the tradition and under the influence of Frans Hals, but states that Corinth probably did not know his paintings at the time.Description
The painting shows a dark-skinned man in front of a deep gray background, with his upper body slightly turned to the left. The man's face is turned towards the viewer. He wears a holey wool shirt with red and white horizontal stripes and a wide collar, which is painted very roughly. Only the upper arms and a part of the forearm on the right are visible; the shirt ends just before the elbow joint.Due to his dark skin and black hair as well because of the black-gray background, his facial features aren't entirely recognizable; his hair also seems to blend into the background. The face itself is made uneasy by strong lighting. The man has a small beard and looks to the left side with an apparent sense of unease.
The portrait makes a comparison between the anonymous model and the title character of William Shakespeare's play Othello, like if he was a modern days counterpart. This was made probably to highlight the model's strength and pride, more than to give him any aristocratic or leadership conotation.