Sitting Female Nude, 1910

With an unerring eye for the essential, with flowing, closed lines as if drawn in one stroke, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976) places his 1910 drawing Sitting Female Nude on the sheet of paper in ink and brush. Using sparse means, purposive linework, and indicative detailing, the co-founder of German Expressionism creates the illusion of a three-dimensional spatial representation of the sitting woman, leaning slightly to one side, her elbow bent, right hand resting on her right shoulder, looking down to the ground, appearing quietly introverted and collected. The aim of the co-founder of the Dresden artist group Die Brücke was to create an art expressive of the artist’s emotions and feelings and experience through the direct and unadulterated reflection of what urges him to create. Even considering the limited possibilities of an ink drawing compared to painting, Schmidt-Rottluff proves himself up to the task with ease.

MH, 2021