Adolescentia

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Künstler*in Elena Luksch-Makowsky (1878 St. Petersburg – 1967 Hamburg)

Object typeGemälde
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
171 × 78 cm
SignatureMonogr. und dat. rechts unten: ELM 1903
Inventory number5948
Locations Belvedere, Oberes Belvedere, 1. Obergeschoß (Ost), Raum SO4
Adolescence was a widely explored theme in art around 1900. In Adolescentia, a painting steeped in symbolism, Elena Luksch-Makowsky captured this fragile state on the threshold between childish play and awakening sexual interest: Slightly ungainly yet confident nonetheless, a larger-than-life girl is shown standing in a meadow covered with spring flowers. Some distance away, young, pubescent men visibly react to her presence. Born into a family of artists in St. Petersburg, the painter had moved to Vienna with her husband, the sculptor Richard Luksch. Here the artist worked in various media, creating both paintings and designs for sculptures.