In this episode of Anatomy of An Artwork, discover two dramatically different views of female beauty in Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s "Double Portrait" from 1912, a highlight of Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale. While Weiblicher Akt utilizes bold brushstrokes and fiery coloration to depict a sun-dappled nude, Blue Dame im Tiergarten employs a cool palette and traditional woodcut techniques to characterize the refined elegance of the artist’s longtime partner and frequent sitter, Erna Schilling. In offering these competing visions, Kirchner showcases his development as an artist at this pivotal moment in the development of Modern art. (12 November | New York)
