Luise Scholderer sleeping 10 - 1971

Otto Scholderer captured this intimate moment of 'Luise Scholderer sleeping' in a delicate pencil drawing. Here, sleep is not merely the absence of wakefulness, but a state laden with symbolic weight. Consider the pose, the hand supporting the head. This motif echoes through art history, reminiscent of figures in mourning or contemplation, a gesture found in ancient sculptures of melancholic muses and even Christian depictions of the sleeping Mary. Across time, this hand-to-face gesture transforms, yet retains its core association with introspection and vulnerability. It’s as if the slumbering mind seeks solace in self-touch, a universal human instinct to find comfort. In this drawing, the vulnerability of sleep is not merely physical; it is a psychological exposure, a brief surrender to the unconscious where anxieties and desires surface. This is a potent image, engaging us on a subconscious level, reminding us of our own fragile existence and the universal need for rest and introspection.