Joseph Urban (Vienna, 1872 - 1933, New York City)
Sphynxe, 1903
Watercolor, pastel, and crayon on paper, 22.38 x 19 cm (8 13/16 x 7 1/2 in.)
This vertical, mixed-media painting was created in Vienna in 1903. It depicts two fantastic figures perched on a rock promontory. The figures appear to be part woman, part lion, and part bird. The figure to the left has the face of a human, with white skin and long black hair, and animal paws resting on the top of the cliff. The other figure is right next to the first and appears to be taller. This figure is in profile, and also has white skin, long black hair, and paws. Enormous white feathered wings project out from the outer side of each figure. Light hits the top of the wings, highlighting them. Behind the wings, to our right, a creature’s rump lays on the rock with a tail in back and a leg on the edge of the cliff. This part of the creature’s body is a muted shade of brown with streaks of blue. The cliff is painted in shades of brownish-gray. The background is murky, painted in shades of washed out blue and gray with touches of white. In the lower left is an inscription in German.
Vatichino
Commentary
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