Seated Youth (In the Morning), 1919

Anton Kolig (1886–1950) approached his subject with nothing less than the utmost care. The anatomical scaffolding of the individual limbs and perspectival foreshortening is first established by a network of guidelines. The volume of each limb is then worked out by way of contrasts achieved by an elaborate painting technique that expertly employs accents of light and color. What results out of this process is this magnificent composition of a seated figure. The body is painted in shimmering reflections and positioned on the right; the opposite, quieter left side is occupied by a small brown cupboard. The figure is surrounded by many contrasting shades and doused with a morning light that radiates from above. Also called In the Morning, Kolig found it necessary to simulate the model’s physical presence. For decades, the male nude was a subject that the artist very much favored.

Text Leopold Museum; SK, 2019