Nackte Frau Auf Ast Sitzend 1924

Otto Mueller made this drawing of a nude woman sitting on a branch with pencil and distemper. It's all about process, you can feel it in the marks. The colors are muted, almost like a faded photograph. The texture is rough, like the paper was scrubbed with charcoal. The woman's body is outlined in a delicate yellow that contrasts with the dark grays of the background. Look at her hands! They're so elongated, almost like she’s becoming part of the tree, or like she is Daphne turning into a laurel. It reminds me of my own paintings, where the figures are always merging with their surroundings. It makes me think of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also painted nudes in nature, but with a bit more earthiness. This one is more ethereal, as if she could float away any second. It's a beautiful, enigmatic piece that leaves you with more questions than answers. Which is how art should be, right?