FERNAND KHNOPFF (BELGIAN, 1858-1921)

The vast majority of Fernand Khnopff's work showcases his talent as a draftsman and his small-scale works on paper are among the most celebrated in his oeuvre. The subtle nuances of line and color on paper endow Étude de nu with a languid and ephemeral quality, perfectly suited to the femme fatale it depicts. Although she bares the characteristic traits of one of Khnopff's archetypal heroines - flame-haired, aloof and supremely elegant - the provocatively posed figure has a forthright sexuality that marks her out as a somewhat sinister seductress.
As a key figure of the Symbolist Movement in Europe, Khnopff transformed the Realist genre far beyond its descriptive powers, creating symbolic images portraying his private world, his memories and his obsessions. The philosophical underpinnings of the movement advocated a reaction against the direct imitation of Nature in favor of a return to the spiritual realm, the world of dreams, allegories and the fantastical. Khnopff's frequent depiction of women as erotically charged mythological beings represent his desire to portray mysticism, emotion and the loss of intellectual control - all characteristics that he aligned with the feminine. Like his images of the fabled Sphinx and Medusa, the seductive figure of Étude de nu is a sharp contrast to the traditional representation of woman as a symbol of virginal innocence, suggesting the darker aspects of femininity and the threat of unchecked sexual desire.
We are grateful to Gisèle Ollinger-Zinque for confirming the authenticity of the present lot.