Studie zu ‘Orpheus und die Tiere’ c. 1924

Franz von Stuck made this red chalk drawing on paper, a study for ‘Orpheus and the Animals,’ and you can see the beauty is in the simplicity, right? He’s just figuring things out. It's all about line, and how the chalk moves, creating this reddish, almost ghostly figure against the paper. Look at the way he’s captured the light and shadow, giving form to the muscles, the way the chest and legs pull focus and have weight, while the arms seem to recede back into the background. It’s like a dance, isn't it? The pose has this cool, slightly awkward energy. Von Stuck is playing with classical ideas, but there’s something so raw and immediate about the mark-making. It reminds me a bit of Klimt's drawings—that same sense of searching and sensuality. You know, it’s these kinds of intimate studies that really show you what an artist is thinking about.