Seated Female Nude with Raised Right Arm, 1925

Following his training at the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna and his military service in the Ukraine during World War I, Otto Rudolf Schatz (1900–1961) primarily depicted socio-critical themes. His exploration of the female nude, however, was a constant theme throughout the oeuvre of the painter and graphic artist. In this brush drawing, the artist showed an expressive, torso-like female body engaged in twisting and contorting movements. In the graphic execution, the Expressionist stylistic devices employed by the artist become apparent: Schatz formulated the plasticity of the body with a spontaneous yet secure hand by means of bunches of strokes and areas of shadow.

AK, 2021