Lot 305 Dα

“I feel captivated by beautiful light, illuminations that keep changing, interacting with each other, intertwining into amazing combinations, a light that can only be captured at the last moment. I feel challenged by the colour that appears under precisely this fleeting light and which cannot be caught any better- especially when I have to master an entire complexity of such colours! These are colour tones that should harmonise like some beautiful melody... They unite in a chord where there must be no dissonance, in other words, one colour must not harm the other, by being too loud.” (Leo Putz, quoted by Ruth Stein, Leo Putz, Vienna 1974, p. 39).
Two elements are equally evident in this painting: firstly, the artist's great fascination and technical brilliance in the treatment of light, and secondly the sensitivity with which Putz depicts his models. The two young girls seem to be sitting in a very sunny room. The clear, bright sunlight is reflected on their skins - their faces, hands and arms - adding a fresh and impeccable shine. Yet what is far more profound is the impact of the light on the girls' clothes. Using broad, flowing brushstrokes, the artist has expertly captured the surface of the material which appears to dissolve completely under the impact of the light into a harmonious ensemble of subtle tones of white, grey and blue. Together with the colour areas of the very vaguely defined background, which also dissolves under the light, this serves to accentuate the clarity and plasticity of the models' faces.
Two comparisons for the model of the girl to the right are to be found in the drawing "Bildnis eines Mädchens I" (Portrait of a Girl I; H. Putz 1857) and the painting "Bildnis eines Mädchens II" (H. Putz 1858), both from 1912.
From 1900 to 1926 many of Leo Putz's works were published in the magazine "Jugend - Münchner Illustrierte Wochenschrift für Kunst und Leben" (Youth - Munich Illustrated Weekly Magazine for Art and Life). Founded in 1896, the magazine coined the German term for the style called "Jugendstil" (Art Nouveau, literally 'youth style'), but its impact went much further and it became a collection point for the many different art movements of that time. "Blonde and Brunette" served equally as a colour title page for the issue 28 of "Jugend" in 1913.