Alfons Walde

The featured pastel painting by Alfons Walde shows his passion for nudes, apart from his well known landscape paintings of the mountainous region. Other than the landscape paintings, the nudes were only for himself and not for the public. This interest started early on, during his architecture studies in Vienna, between 1910 to 1914, where he became aquainted with the works of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Inspired by their depictions of the body, he soon found his own style. Initially expressive, quick sketches, his nudes became more detailed, more erotic and factual in the 1930s.

The immediacy of this artwork pulls in the viewer, this effect is enhanced by the relatively large dimensions oft the work. The nude paintings of Alfons Walde stand in direct contact with the extensive photographic portfolio he created. Photography was the perfect medium for Walde, who was a natural observer and almost voyoristically inclined. On one hand carefully staged, on the other hand spontaneous, erotic moments could be captured and later painted. Pastel painting was his favored medium to paint nude scenes, which give the depiction a soft and material quality. The skin tones are carefully sculpted in light and shadow, almost silky, seemingly inviting the viewer to touch. The surrounding areas are also very interesting, as the white fabrics, that tower before a blue background are remeniscent of a snowy mountain landscape. The stockings and pointed heels the woman wears are typical for Walde's erotic works, as he apparently had a fondness for them. Alfons Walde manages to combine the harmony and aesthetic of the intertwined bodies, as well as the unique intimacy of this erotic moment and transport them to the viewer in a delicate and sensitive manner.