Lovis Corinth – The Nude, 1908 by Atelier Liesjes

This painting depicts a female nude in a direct, life-size representation. The model stands or lies in a pose that radiates both vulnerability and strength, painted with the energetic, broad brushstrokes for which Corinth was known in his middle years. The title * 'Die Nacktheit' * — *The Nude* — refers to a fundamental theme: the human body in its purest, most unveiled state. Corinth thus places himself within the long academic tradition of the nude study, but elevates it to a new level of directness and expressive power. The flesh tone is complexly built up from layers of cool and warm hues, and the surroundings are only roughly indicated in order to focus attention entirely on the body. Lovis Corinth (1858–1925) was one of the most distinctive German painters of his generation. He studied in Munich, Paris and Berlin and began his career in the naturalist tradition, but soon developed a powerful personal idiom that combines elements of Impressionism and Expressionism. Following a stroke in 1911, his brushwork became looser and more expressive, making his late work particularly valued as precursors to German Expressionism. Corinth painted portraits, nudes, mythological scenes and still lifes with unprecedented directness. He was a member and later chairman of the Berliner Secession and an influential figure in the art world of Wilhelmine and Weimar Germany.