Ruhende Dreiviertel Akt (Reclining Female Nude)

Corinth employed soft‑ground etching, a method that allows the artist to draw directly onto the plate with a buttery ground, producing velvety, smudged lines. The resulting marks on the paper retain a spontaneous, almost unfinished appearance, reflecting his blend of impressionistic fluidity and emerging expressionist vigor.

By the time of this print, Corinth had already built a reputation as both painter and printmaker, having trained in Paris and Munich and later heading the Berlin Secession. The piece exemplifies his mature period, when he was actively exploring the possibilities of print media alongside his easel work.

The early 1910s saw Corinth integrating impressionist light effects with a more expressive handling of form. This etching aligns with his broader investigation of the human body as a vehicle for exploring line, texture, and emotional tone within the modernist currents of pre‑World War I Germany.