Mädchen Auf Der Liege 1926

Otto Mueller made "Mädchen Auf Der Liege" with a few simple sticks of coloured chalk, caressing the paper to yield this vulnerable figure. Imagine the studio, the quietness, the scraping of the chalk, and the artist's eye moving back and forth, trying to capture the essence of this girl, reclining. It’s all soft greys and blacks, except for the figure, who is rendered in this pale, luminous yellow, making her more present than the architectural forms that surround her. Is she dreaming? Is she ill? What is her story? I’m reminded of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another German artist who tried to get at the realness of women's lives. I see so much of that tenderness and commitment here, too. Artists like Mueller create such intimate spaces, and invite us to be present with him and to see with our own eyes, and feel with our own skin.