(Verworfene) Frauenfigur für die _Vorbereitung zum Kostümball_ (_) 1879

Otto Scholderer made this pencil drawing, "Rejected Female Figure for the Preparation for the Costume Ball," sometime in the 19th century. The sketch presents a full-length view of a woman in what appears to be a dress. The sketch is dominated by subtle contrasts, and the absence of bold lines creates a sense of softness and ethereality. Scholderer's use of line and shading invites us to consider the artwork through a semiotic lens. The woman's posture, the fall of the dress, and the way light catches the contours of her face all function as signs. We see these signs as indicators of the subject’s momentary and temporal situation. The composition, dominated by the female figure, draws attention to the cultural codes in play. The artwork encourages a structuralist reading, revealing the underlying framework of societal expectations and the construction of identity within a social context. It is through these formal elements that Scholderer opens a dialogue about representation and meaning in art.