Arnold Schönberg

The opening of Nicola Perscheid’s studio at Bellevuestraße 6a, right near the Choralion hall (Bellevuestraße 4) where the world premiere of Pierrot lunaire, op. 21 took place in October 1912, was a major event in the press: “A magnificent space in colossal dimensions! No skylight! Smooth, green walls […] On the opposite wall facing the courtyard is an enormous window slanted inwards almost as wide as the wall, of the kind common in painters’ studios. It is outfitted with light and dark curtains to shade and regulate the lighting as desired in a manner scarcely differing from the usual, but tasteful when fully open and not seeming ‘technical’ […].” In Photographische Chronik 8/91 (November 8, 1905). As was often the case with Perscheid, Arnold Schönberg’s portrait features skilfully arranged lighting, assuring clear separation of the subject from the background.