OTTO RUDOLF SCHATZ (Vienna 1900 - 1961 Vienna), Erotic Scene II, 1927

OTTO RUDOLF SCHATZ*
(Vienna 1900 - 1961 Vienna)
Erotic Scene II, 1927
woodcut/paper, 14,3 x 23 cm
monogrammed ORS and dated 27X
Provenance: private property Vienna

ESTIMATE °€ 400 - 800
START € 400

Austrian painter and graphic artist of the 20th century, especially of the interwar period. Studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule under Anton von Kenner, Franz Cizek and Oskar Strnad. Initially worked primarily as a graphic artist and illustrator for Arthur Roessler and Josef Luitpold Stern. From 1928 to 1938 member of the Hagenbund, from 1946 member of the Vienna Secession. Lived with his Jewish wife in Prague and Brno during World War II. 1944 internment in the concentration camp Gräditz, 1945 liberation by Soviet troops. Created mainly woodcuts, watercolors, cityscapes, socially critical works and murals, but also mosaics and graffiti for residential buildings. Early interest in works by Egon Schiele, development between Expressionism and New Objectivity. In the 1920s and 1930s woodcuts in the style of New Objectivity, including erotic motifs. Among them also explicit depictions of lovemaking and physical lust and passion.

The Hagenbund artist Otto Rudolf Schatz was a sought-after graphic artist and illustrator in the 1920s and 1930s. Committed primarily to Expressionism in his early works, Schatz turned to Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) in the mid-1920s. In addition to depictions of workers and cityscapes, nudes and erotica play a role in his oeuvre.
Schatz received his training at the Vienna School of Applied Arts under Kenner and Strnad. In the 1920s and 1930s he illustrated and executed various books for socialist publishers. From 1925 Schatz was a member of the Association of Austrian Artists, which also organized the art show, from 1928 to 1938 of the Hagenbund and from 1946 also of the Vienna Secession. In 1938 he emigrated to the Czech Republic and lived with his Jewish wife in Prague and Brno in constant fear of reprisals. In 1944 the couple was interned, but later liberated by the Russians. In 1945 Schatz returned to Vienna, where he received special support from City Councilor for Culture Viktor Matejka. Before and after the war, Schatz undertook numerous journeys, which took him to Italy, France, England, Switzerland, the Balkans, Asia and the USA.
In addition to oil painting, Schatz often uses the woodcut technique. He repeatedly deals with the world of work, industry, political developments and democratic ideas and creates a whole series of socio-critical illustrations. At the same time, there are also erotic scenes, some of which border on pornography, with which Schatz – especially during the occupation period – can earn a living and save themselves financially through hard times. The series of erotic images stands out because of its high quality. In his depictions, Schatz presents the women with the bobbed hair that was so typical of the time. In the individual sheets they find themselves in a sexual moment with one another or with a male counterpart. The scenes vary in their directness and clarity, ranging from touching and caressing to penetration and fellatio. The expression of the individual depictions also varies, there are gentle but also aggressive moments. Sexuality, lust, power, being at the mercy of others and surrendering - these are the basic motifs of these depictions. The limited range of colors resulting from the technique additionally accentuates the opposite of the sexes. The supposedly innocent woman in white faces the black man.

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