Sitting Nude with Crossed Legs, undated

Alongside his luminous, colorful landscapes, the well-traveled painter Hans Böhler (1884–1961) chose human depictions, especially of women, as his primary motif. As co-founders of the artists’ association Neukunstgruppe, Böhler had ties with Egon Schiele (1890–1918), whom he supported through acquisitions of his works. The two artists further shared an interest in human bodies and their positioning in the space. Unlike with Schiele, Böhler’s nudes convey a sensual tranquility. As Böhler’s main concern was to experiment with the position of his bodies, he often dispensed with rendering their faces, while the genitals are hidden by crossed legs, the choice of perspective or pieces of fabric. What remains are forms and dynamics. For Böhler, the drawing provided an important field for experimentation when it came to finding his style, though he increasingly dispensed with contours in his paintings.

RR, 2023