Richard Gerstl 005 - A painting of a tree in a field

Richard Gerstl (1883–1908) was an Austrian painter and draughtsman known for his expressive psychologically insightful portraits, his lack of critical acclaim during his lifetime, and his affair with the wife of Arnold Schoenberg which led to his suicide. Richard Gerstl was born in a prosperous civil family to Emil Gerstl, a Jewish merchant, and Maria Pfeiffer, a non-Jewish woman.