Year: 1975.
Size: 30 x 45 inches
On the occasion of a 1983 exhibition of Prechtl's work in New York, a writer deliciously described this watercolor used to promote a satiric book: ". . . avuncular Leonardo da Vinci doesn't seem to notice Dr. Sigmund Freud, even though the curious old analyst is almost hugging him . . . so he can expose what's hidden in the painter's flowing beard: . . . a naked, pouting Mona Lisa wearing a metal collar and handcuffs, linked with a metal compass whose points touch her breasts." Below Prechtl's witty, free-association image is a fake Freud quote and laudatory praise from various irreverent voices of the day. The book itself was written by Mark PodwalÐthen a recent medical school graduate, now one of America's leading dermatologists. It pokes fun, through satiric pen-and-ink drawings, at Freud's interpretation of great art.
