Nudes in the Dunes 1919

Editor: Otto Mueller’s "Nudes in the Dunes," painted in 1919 using oil on canvas, is quite striking. The figures seem almost camouflaged by the landscape, blending into the dunes. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Let's consider the materiality of this canvas. Mueller, deeply influenced by German Expressionism, wasn't just depicting nudes, he was engaging with a long history of landscape painting. But think about his application of paint: those flat, almost chalky surfaces. He's downplaying the illusionism typically prized in painting. Do you see how this links to his interest in more 'primitive' or 'folk' art forms, outside the traditional academy? Editor: Yes, I see that now! The colours are also muted, and don’t seem natural. The painting lacks the illusion that you might see in other landscape works. It's less about perfectly capturing the scene and more about… expressing something else. Curator: Precisely. Think about post-World War I Germany, when this work was created. The materials, readily accessible after wartime restrictions eased, combined with this return to nature could represent more than just a landscape. This raw application of paint and muted color palette challenge the viewers. The labor of applying these pigments also must have required some kind of cathartic effect to Mueller in his return to a tranquil setting, where he renders its emotional effect through the artist’s expressive interpretation of the human figure’s connection to the raw landscape. Editor: That's a fascinating way to look at it – the raw materials mirroring the raw emotion of the time! Curator: Indeed. The painting almost acts as a document of its own making and the world's turmoil; the dunes serving as both subject and commentary, the figures molded to the land almost like found art itself. What was "made" is less about "who" it pictures, but more so to the catharsis, pain and trauma that the process itself has afforded. Editor: That really changes my perception of the work! It is far more about material culture and process rather than solely representation. Curator: Exactly! By focusing on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of its production, we can appreciate the depth beneath this deceptively simple image.