Artist: Frantisek Drtikol (Czech, 1883 - 1961). Title: "La Priere [Modernist nude study]". Medium: Original vintage photogravure. Date: Composed c1926. Printed 1926. Dimensions: Image size: 9 5/16 x 7 1/8 in. (237 x 181 mm). Lot Note(s): Signature stamp, lower left recto; studio stamp, verso. Edition unknown, presumed very small. High-grade archival paper. Ample margins. Fine, quality printing. Very good condition; some foxing upper right. Comment(s): Drtikol’s nudes show development from pictorialism and symbolism to modern composite pictures of the nude body, with geometric decorations and thrown shadows, where one finds a number of parallels with the avant-garde works of his epoch. These often are reminiscent of Cubism, and at the same time the nudes suggest the kind of movement that was characteristic of the futurism aesthetic. Image copyright © The Estate of Frantisek Drtikol. [25602-1-600]