Woman Reading (“Perusal”), 1908/10

The various stages of Helene Funke’s (1869–1857) life took her from her birthplace Chemnitz via the Munich Ladies’ Academy (1899–1902) and Paris (1905–1913) to Vienna (from 1913). However, the well-traveled artist mostly led a secluded life, which makes it difficult to retrace her biography. Her 1908/10 lithographs Sleeping Female Nude and Woman Reading were created during her time in Paris, where she abandoned the academic traditions of Munich and delved into the luminous colors and expressive shapes of French Fauvism. Depictions of women became her primary motif. The nudes, printed in black-and-white, convey a sensual intimacy. The naked woman is resting peacefully on her bed, seemingly unaware of the voyeuristic intrusion into her bedroom. Funke embedded the bright body with trenchant and elegant contours into the meticulously rendered backdrop.

RR, 2023