| Number | AMHAM: OBJECT.1367 |
|---|---|
| Date | (1944) |
| About this object | This painting expresses the alienation and sadness of exile. The heads of three women appear to be reflected in the front window of a Green Line bus (which ran between London and Amersham). Like many of Motesiczky’s portraits, the background appears an afterthought (or at least secondary to the figure(s)). Outside of the green impression, the background is left bare and hastily painted, the orange oil wash on the canvas like a stained studio rag. The central head is a self-portrait which is more clearly defined than the more sketchily painted heads of the other passengers. The faces of the two figures flanking Motesiczky are ghost-like, based on Marie-Louise’s mother (on the left, half-obscured) and Ilse Leembruggen (on the right). Ilse Leembruggen, Marie-Louise's aunt, lived in the Netherlands. She visited the Motesiczkys in Amersham in August 1946, as soon as she could after the War. She would not have been in Amersham in 1944 when she was experiencing a very precarious time in Holland, so Three Heads was an imagined grouping. There is no interaction between the three figures; the faces of the subjects share the canvas whilst remaining distant. This adds an uneasy air of despondency and anonymity in a painting where you might expect familial warmth. Presented by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust in 2018. ©️Tate. (Schlenker ref: 69) |
| Made By | Marie-Louise von Motesiczky |
| Made In | Chestnut Lane, Amersham |
| Physical Description | Oil painting on canvas, glazed, in modern wooden frame |
| Inscription | Motesiczky |
| Find Out More | Biography | Marie-Louise von Motesiczky 1906-1996 |