Male Nude, Lying on His Back, c. 1945

The artist Anton Kolig’s (1886–1950) extensive painterly oeuvre is supplemented by graphic works on paper, some of them preparatory studies for paintings, but most of them autonomous works, whose number is estimated at around 2,500. Throughout all the periods of his oeuvre, Kolig focused almost exclusively on depictions of male nudes in the medium of drawing. What all of them have in common is that they show young, well-proportioned and powerful bodies. Kolig’s earlier drawings from the 1920s are characterized by expressive strokes with open contours, which make the models appear to be in motion, as in the work Two Male Nudes, Reclining. The stylistic change that occurred in the 1930s would remain a characteristic feature of his drawings until his late oeuvre: The male models now adhered to the antique ideal. The emphasized outlines are closed, while the delicate interior drawing accentuates anatomical details and invests the bodies with volume and plasticity. The artist depicted his models in passive poses, lying on their front or their back. The young men seem to have been left to themselves, they appear frozen in their positions and expose themselves to the beholders’ gaze in a detached manner.

AK, 2023