Lithograph in colors
Karsch 163/III (of III). Signed and numbered 11/60. On laid paper, laid on cardboard. 69,1 x 48,8 cm (27,2 x 19,2 in), the full sheet

The color lithograph "Zwei Zigeunermädchen im Wohnraum" (Two Gypsy Girls in the Sitting Room) can very well be considered the most sensual of the later sheets from the series that Otto Mueller released under the title "Zigeuner" (Gypsies) in 1927. Otto Mueller, who once more realized his artistic and technical experience in this series, had high hopes in good sales figures for this portfolio, which, unfortunately was not the case. In a consequence the color lithographs were sold individually, which is why there are hardly any copies of the complete portfolio on the market today. But yet, the single sheets have been made in a way so that they can even be treasured without their original context. The shaded room, in which the two young women are in, is filled with a latent notion of erotic, increased even more by the diffused depiction of their physicalness, with only the eyes and mouths being slightly hinted at in the dark. In this work Mueller visualized an old longing, according to him, he always felt a close relatedness to gypsies and their lifestyle. The work on this subject is at the same time a proof of Otto Mueller’s vital creative power. [KD].