A trip to Russia in April-May, a search for a high
school for my 8th grader, a scramble to sign him up for summer
camps, and a catch-up game at work after my travel – lots of things have been
done over the past few months, but I read no new books and watched no new
films.
As I sustained my inner culture vulture by surfing the
Net, I discovered stunningly erotic nudes by Robert Auer, a Croatian artist
(1873-1952). He was among the first professors at the Academy of Fine Arts
Zagreb, and the only Croatian artist to present his works at the Secession exhibition
in Munich in 1896. His works received a
special recognition at the 1906 World Fair in Paris.
Robert Auer was a renowned maestro of his time, having
done over 150 portraits for his upper class patrons, as well as watercolors,
still lifes, photographs and many more. One of the most striking chapters of
his art was his sumptuous nudes, full of life and eroticism. Artists of all times and schools did nudes,
but only a few of them could match the passion, emotion and sensuality of
Auer’s works.
After a period of obscurity, Auer’s works came into
limelight when the Museum of Klovićevi Dvori in Zagreb held a retrospective of
his art in 2010. Here is a video of the exhibition, A Sensual Master. More art can be found on this Facebook page.
Being a fan of the Art Nouveau decorative style, I am also posting a photo of this magnificent armoire with Robert Auer's designs:
Picture sources:
