Academic Nudes of the 19th Century: Lovis Corinth (1858 - 1925) Zwei Knabenakt (Two Nude Boys)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Lovis Corinth (1858 - 1925) Zwei Knabenakt (Two Nude Boys)

Lovis Corinth.......... Self-Portrait with Skeleton (1896)

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Lovis Corinth was one of the most important exponents of German Impressionism. He began his art studies at the Konigsberg Art Academy under Professor Otto Gunther. In 1880 he went to Munich where he continued his studies under Franz von Defregger and later under Ludwig Lofftz. His works from that period in his career were influenced by the naturalist paintings of the Munich "Leibi-Kreis" (Leibl-Circle). Within German Realism, a group formed around the painter Wilhelm Leibl (1844 - 1900) in Upper Bavaria. This group turned against the predominant concept of academic Realism with its monumental history scenes. Unlike the academic concept of art, in which important issues were addressed in a heroic manner, and also in contrast with genre painting, which was also popular at the time, the painters of the "Leibl-Kreis" focused their attention to pure painting, meaning pictorial implementation, which often overlooked the object's particular materiality, thus attaining a decomposition of form in painting, was elevated above the object depicted. These tendencies of the Leibl painters made them precursors of abstraction and are somewhat a ground breaking modernity.

After a short stay in Antwerp, Corinth moved to Paris where attended the well known "Academie Julian". His instructors included Bouguereau and Robert-Fleury. In 1891 Corinth returned to Munich and became a founding member of the Munich "Sezession". In 1901 he moved to Berlin where he opened a painting school for women. In 1911 Corinth suffered a stroke and temporarily paralyzed on his left side, which had a pronounced change in his work. As the Nazi's came to power in Germany in the 1930's, Corinth's work was classified as "degenerate art" and many of his works were destroyed. Thanks to brave Museum administrators many of his works were hidden away to avoid confiscation by the Nazi. Some of his work went on the pyres and some of it was sold by the Nazis outside Germany.

In 1937 Corinth's works were featured in the Munich exhibition "Entartete Kunst" (Degenerate Art), the most infamous of several exhibitions of "degenerate" art organized by the Nazis to incite the German public against modern art.
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Fortunately, many of Lovis Corinth's graphic works are still affordable and I managed to snap this nice print up before it could disappear into some German collectors art collection. It is one of his early prints and fits in nicely with the other works in my collection. One has to have nerves of steel sometimes when auctions present an opportunity like this. Before a single bid could be placed I emailed the seller and inquired about what he wanted to realize on this print. He named a price and I immediately agreed. My research indicated few examples of this print have come up at auction recently so I grabbed it.
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