Born in Vienna in 1883, Richard Gerstl studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna but frequently clashed with the institution's conservative faculty. He eventually withdrew from formal training to develop his own distinct, raw aesthetic, which diverged significantly from the prevailing Secessionist style of his contemporaries.

Gerstl is best known for his bold, gestural brushwork and his unflinching approach to portraiture, often capturing the inner emotional states of his subjects. His oeuvre, which includes landscapes and self-portraits, is characterized by a radical departure from traditional academic techniques, favoring a visceral application of paint that prefigured later movements in modern art.

While his work was largely ignored during his lifetime, Gerstl has gained significant posthumous recognition as a pivotal figure in Austrian Expressionism. Recent institutional acquisitions, including a major donation of his works to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, have further solidified his place in the canon of early 20th-century European art.