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1923
416A
Berlin-Grünewald
7 January 1923
Dear Professor,
It is wonderful to be able to start the first letter of the New Year with congratulations. Today at midday my wife and I congratulated Oliver and his fiancée,1 and brief though our meeting was, we had a pleasant impression of her. I have known her father, Dr F.[uchs], for many years from the practice. We also send you and yours our best wishes. I should like to take the opportunity to remark that for quite a long time I have found Oliver distinctly changed for the better, more cheerful and much less restless.
I have to thank you, dear Professor, for your amusing lines about my picture. Naturally I cannot agree with you completely. The painter is without doubt very gifted. I had seen a number of sketches of portrait drawings in his studio, which were of such brilliant nature that I decided to ask him to sketch me. I did not know that these drawings dated from an earlier period and that he had in the meantime changed over to the most modern school. I am in no way inclined toward this abstract school. However, since the picture was finished, I did not wish to withhold it from our circle. If one looks at it often over a period of time, more and more characteristics become apparent. In order to make good the wrong I have done you, I intend to give myself over to another artist sometime soon. At the end of February, I am to read a paper in Hamburg2 and intend to consult an artist there of whom you too will approve.3
I am glad that the differences of opinion that had been expressed in the circular letters have been settled with the Old Year.4 Sachs told me about the discussions in Vienna5 and passed on to me your wish that the Berlin letters should be based on discussions between us three, so that they should give an extract of our combined views. You expressed exactly what I feel! But you cannot have any idea with what difficulties I have to struggle. You know yourself how careless Sachs has become in many things, and tha