The son of a Kaiserjäger officer studied from 1917 with Hans Tichy at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Disappointed by his lessons, he moved 1920 to the School of Applied Arts with Wilhelm Müller-Hofmann as a teacher. In 1923 he married the Freiburg bacteriologist Marianne Nohl, with whom he undertook extended itineraries to Italy. Already in 1923, Reyl-Hanisch participated in his first exhibition in the Vienna Secession, where he regularly participated in the next few years. His connections to wealthy social circles brought him numerous portrait commissions, which enabled him to live as a freelance artist in Vienna during the economic crisis. The confrontation with fantastic literature and the friendship with Franz Sedlacek, whom he met at an exhibition in 1928, influenced his imagery. From the early 30s he also exhibited in Germany, as his reputation grew steadily through publications of his work in German magazines. In 1934 he moved to Bregenz, where he continued to receive lucrative portrait commission.