Hans Jurgis Preiss (1904–1984) was born in Königsberg, travelled all over Europe, associated with Pablo Picasso, and also lived in exile for several years in Siberia. Such amazing twists in the fate of the artist were due to his first wife — German Communist and intelligence officer Gertrude Genis. Thanks to her, he himself became interested in the idea of political struggle. Over time, Preiss, known to the general public as a respectable and talented painter, also began to lead a double life: he joined the Communist Party and began to engage in espionage in favour of the USSR.
The spouses moved to the Soviet Union shortly before the outbreak of World War II. At first, they were even given an apartment and a workshop in Moscow, but in 1941, together with other Germans, they ended up in a camp where Gertrude soon died of tuberculosis. After his release, Preuss lived and worked in Tomsk for several years, and in 1956 he settled in Kemerovo.
The portrait of the unknown model belongs to the Kemerovo period (1956–1984), the longest and quietest in the artist’s creative life. As an old man, Preiss again experienced a creative boost. During the Thaw, he no longer had to paint ceremonial portraits of the establishment, which he scornfully called hard-core Socialist Realism in the Stalinist style. After visiting his native Königsberg in the 1960s, which the USSR got after the end of the war, Preiss returned to the intimate chamber painting that glorified him in his youth.
The spouses moved to the Soviet Union shortly before the outbreak of World War II. At first, they were even given an apartment and a workshop in Moscow, but in 1941, together with other Germans, they ended up in a camp where Gertrude soon died of tuberculosis. After his release, Preuss lived and worked in Tomsk for several years, and in 1956 he settled in Kemerovo.
The portrait of the unknown model belongs to the Kemerovo period (1956–1984), the longest and quietest in the artist’s creative life. As an old man, Preiss again experienced a creative boost. During the Thaw, he no longer had to paint ceremonial portraits of the establishment, which he scornfully called hard-core Socialist Realism in the Stalinist style. After visiting his native Königsberg in the 1960s, which the USSR got after the end of the war, Preiss returned to the intimate chamber painting that glorified him in his youth.
