Half-Length Figure Turned to the Left, 1924

About the Work

For Schlemmer, man was the "measure of all things" and consequently also the most important motif in his art. Created during his period as a teacher at the Bauhaus in Weimar, this small-format but monumental-looking painting reflects the idea represented there of the new, modern man. The rigorous, ageless profile silhouette shows the fusing of nose and brow typical of Schlemmer's works. In spite of the intended over-individuality, some believe this to be a stylised portrait of Schlemmer's Bauhaus colleague the architect Adolf Meyer.