Artwork Page for On Death, Part I

Details / Information for On Death, Part I

On Death, Part I

1889

Max Klinger

(German, 1857–1920)
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Culture
Germany, late 19th century
Medium
etching and aquatint
Credit Line
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1933.126
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In On Death, Part One, a series of ten etchings, the Symbolist Max Klinger envisioned the ephemeral nature of life and the suddenness of death, themes that prompted one contemporary critic to call the portfolio a modern "Dance of Death." In Night, the first in the series, a man sits on a bench in an enclosed garden. A moonbeam breaks through the clouds over the sea, and on the path to the right is a lily with a fluttering butterfly. The landscape seems an extension of the figure’s melancholy thoughts, a landscape of the mind.
A square-oriented print in black ink on cream paper depicts a bearded man sitting on the left, facing right with his hand against his ear. To the right, a pale path curves toward a single tall flower. In the background, light reflects on water under a cloudy sky where a large bird flies. At the bottom, small printed text includes the names "MAX KLINGER" and "BERLIN S.W."

On Death, Part I

1889

Max Klinger

(German, 1857–1920)
Germany, late 19th century

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