early life and career

mark gertler, a british painter of figure subjects, portraits, and still-life, was born on december 9, 1891, in spitalfields, london. his early life and relationship with dora carrington were the inspiration for gilbert cannan's novel mendel. gertler's forename was anglicised from "marks" to "mark" in 1896, when his family joined his father in london. gertler showed signs of a great talent for drawing from an early age. he enrolled in art classes at regent street polytechnic in 1906 but was forced to drop out due to poverty. in 1908, he began working as an apprentice at clayton & bell, a stained glass company, while attending evening classes at the polytechnic.

rise to prominence and notable works

gertler's career took off when he was placed third in a national art competition in 1908. he then enrolled at the slade school of art in london, where he became a contemporary of notable artists like paul nash, edward wadsworth, and sir stanley spencer. gertler's patrons included lady ottoline morrell, who introduced him to walter sickert, the leader of the camden town group. his success as a painter of society portraits was short-lived due to his temperamental manner and devotion to advancing his work according to his own vision, leading to personal frustration and poverty.

• still life with self portrait, a painting showcasing gertler's unique style, can be found on ArtsDot.
• other notable works include the basket of fruit, peaches and green bottle, and violin case and flowers, all of which can be viewed on mark gertler's page on ArtsDot.

legacy and burial

gertler's life was marked by struggles with poverty and unrequited love. he died on june 23, 1939, and was buried at willesden jewish cemetery, where many other notable figures from the london area are interred. explore more of mark gertler's works and life on ArtsDot: mark gertler | 127 artworks discover other artists and their stories on ArtsDot: the greatest artists painters of all time