Joseph Wintergerst in a Floor-Length Coat

The Nazarenes spurned the use of professional models, which they believed to be corrupted by academic conventions, so they often posed for each other. An early member of the confraternity, Joseph Wintergerst (1783-1867), is shown here wearing the coat that they used for their drawing sessions. Wilhelm von Schadow combined a detailed drapery study with a highly personal likeness. There is a spiritual intensity about the figure, almost entirely covered by the heavy coat, save for his expressive young face, with its focused eyes and tousled hair.