Sitting Nude at Window with Cat 1917

Heinrich Campendonk's "Sitting Nude at Window with Cat" (1917) is a striking woodcut that exemplifies the artist's engagement with Expressionism and the emerging style of Neue Sachlichkeit, a movement that sought to depict a more objective, often stark, view of reality. The composition is bold and graphic, with stark black lines defining the contours of the nude figure, cat, and windowpane. The figure is rendered in a simplified, stylized manner, echoing the geometric forms characteristic of both movements. The work's starkness and geometric composition give a sense of both the psychological weight and the flattened visual space of the sitter, highlighting the influence of Cubist aesthetics on Campendonk's art.