Leo Putz, 1869 Meran – 1940 ebenda Lot n° 736

REIGEN Oil on canvas. 100 x 130 cm. Signed "Leo Putz" on the lower right. Leo Putz is one of the most important painters of his time - emerged from the art of the Munich School and Art Nouveau. His painting style is in most of his oeuvre flott-breitpinselig, his light perception impressionistic. His highly developed aesthetic is evident in each of his works, not least in the depiction of the female nude, but also in the elegance of his portraits of ladies. Trained at the Academy in Munich and at the Académie Julian in Paris, he was in close contact with Erich Erler, Walter Georgi or Adolf Münzer in the circle of the "Jugend", the "Scholle". During his later stays in South America, his style changed towards a brighter palette. Putz used the theme of "Reigen" in several versions as the occasion for a deepened symbolism of liberation from conservative society, with the depiction of the female nude being presented in carefree, dance-like movements. Four young girls are about to dance a round dance on the shore of a lake as if unobserved. One of the girls is playing a violin while performing a dance step to the left. It is a refinement of the picture that the dancing under foliage crowns appears as in a protective cave, with a view of the water surface in which the clouds are reflected. In terms of motifs, the large-format painting belongs to the well-known sequence of the subject in the painter's work. The first sketches are documented for the year 1921. A chalk drawing shows the violinist still in a flowing dress, similar to the second draft, which is dated "Febr 1921". Subsequently, further versions were created, this time in oil. Here the girl with violin wears only a translucent cloth around her hips. In the different versions, the girls assume more or less different positions and postures. For example, the bending girl in the center of the picture - as here in the present painting - is not found in all variations. In the present painting, the blonde girl standing near the center is emphatically sunlit; in contrast to the other versions, the bending figure holds her left arm raised. The different "Reigen" versions date to the years 1921 and 1922, respectively. Until now, no attention has been paid to the fact that Putz certainly did not choose the title "Reigen" by chance. For in 1920, the theater performance of "Reigen" by Arthur Schnitzler in Berlin experienced a considerable uproar. In 1921, due to the strict morals of the time, there were violent riots, arrests and bans, followed by a scandalous trial known throughout Europe. So it is obvious that just in this year 1921 Putz wanted to give his permissive artistic answer with this his cycle of paintings, however, in this case of painting hardly contestable. A.R. Provenance: Auction Nagel, Stuttgart, July 1, 2020, lot 753. Private collection Milan, from there by bequest. Note: We thank Dr. Alexander Rauch, expert on Munich School painting, for confirming the authenticity of the painting. An expert opinion can be provided upon request. Literature: Cf. for the other versions of the "Reigen" cycle: Helmut Putz, Leo Putz 1869 - 1940, Werkverzeichnis in zwei Bänden. Ed. Leo Putz jr. Gauting. Verlag E. Kastner KG, Wolnzach 1994. Cf. Ruth Stein: Leo Putz. Edition Tusch, Vienna o.J. (1331373) (10) Leo Putz, 1869 Merano - 1940 ibid. ROUNDEL DANCE Oil on canvas. 100 x 130 cm. Signed "Leo Putz" lower right.