Dinard 1929 Georg Baselitz

This painting, made in 2023, comes from the latest period of Georg Baselitz, and focuses on aging and the aging body. As has become almost emblematic of his work since 1969, here again the artist rotates his motifs by 180 degrees. In recent years, he has developed a new painting technique, which he applies primarily to nudes: he first paints the figures on an unstretched canvas, then presses the paint onto another, stretched canvas while it is still wet. A mirror image, just like those produced in printmaking, is impressed on the final surface, which he then delicately outlines with a brush. The technique gives an airy texture to the flesh-toned paint: the colour becomes transparent, and the figure takes on a porous, almost weightless quality. This work perfectly embodies the artist’s sensitivity when it comes to painting the human figure.

Kinga Bódi