Pianist and Cellist

The theme of concert and music−making was of major importance to Otto Gutfreund. In his Sketch VII from 1909–1910, the sculptor wrote about music: “Music is the greatest art, as it evokes most easily every kind of mental response. (…) The musician plays with his whole body, as if emotionally moved by the performance proper.” Gutfreund expressed this corporality and bodily vibration that blends with the energy of space in this drawing. The artist did not sign or date the pen−and−ink drawing. The dating to 1911–1912 is corroborated by the expressive pen hatching that is subdued by the compact planes of dark ink. The dissection of shape correspond here more to the destruction of form, a method Gutfreund embraced in 1911. The drawing documents the fact that the artist was not only a sculptor but also a superb draughtsman.