Object #32

Arnold Schönberg
Gazes
1926

Arnold Schönberg Center, Wien

“On the one hand, I had a poor memory for facial features, but, on the other hand was able (formerly) to draw the face of a person with a few strokes after a single sighting. I was never able to explain these contradictions until I discovered that they stand in connection with another ability: I can copy the gaze of most people! And this is because I look people only in the eyes [...]. Therefore, my drawings would also become worse and worse after the first sketches, when I wanted to add details. That is probably also why my so-called ‘Visions’ are always gazes.”