Robert Auer
(1873.-1952.)
At the Edge of the Red Light, 1911.
oil on canvas
85.3 × 150 cm
MG-360

The painting At the Edge of the Red Light by Robert Auer depicts a reclining female nude set within a richly decorated interior. The young woman’s body is rendered in full, with carefully modeled volumes and a smooth texture of skin, surrounded by the interplay of cool bluish and warm red tones. The red light in the right portion of the composition creates a sensual atmosphere, further emphasized by the model’s pose and her gaze directed at the viewer. Although the work belongs to the nude genre, its mood evokes symbolic and emotional layers, situated between eroticism, intimacy, and introspection. With this piece, Auer masterfully blends realism, Art Nouveau decorativeness, and psychological depth.
Robert Auer painted in the spirit of Munich academicism and Art Nouveau, combining rich coloristic expression, elegance of form, and refined thematic choices. His nudes and portraits are often imbued with an atmosphere of luxury, intimacy, and subtle melancholy. He applied layers of paint with soft transitions of light and shadow, complemented by decorative backgrounds that enrich the ambient quality of the works. Both traditional and modern, Auer successfully developed a personal style within the dominant movements of his time, cultivating sensuality and the aestheticization of the human form.
He studied in Zagreb, Vienna, and Munich, graduating from the Academy in 1895. Upon returning to Zagreb, he opened the city’s first private art school in 1897 and became one of the founders of the Croatian Artists’ Society. He worked as a teacher at the School of Applied Arts and became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1918. His oeuvre includes portraits, still lifes, allegorical compositions, and distinctive nudes, among which At the Edge of the Red Light stands out as one of the most notable works of Croatian Art Nouveau.

Text: Lorena Šimić, curator / museum educator, National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb