Artwork Page for Night, from On Death, Part I, Opus XI (Nacht, Vom Tode, Erster Teil, Opus XI)

Details / Information for Night, from On Death, Part I, Opus XI (Nacht, Vom Tode, Erster Teil, Opus XI)

Night, from On Death, Part I, Opus XI (Nacht, Vom Tode, Erster Teil, Opus XI)

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 1933.126.1
Catalogue raisonné
Singer 171
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In On Death, Part One, a series of ten etchings, the Symbolist 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-format etching and aquatint in black ink on tan paper depicts a man with a light skin tone seated in profile, facing right. He rests his head on his hand while looking down. To our right, a tall plant stands by a winding path. In the background, dense etched lines form heavy clouds over a dark body of water. A large bird flies across the bright horizon, creating a somber, atmospheric scene.

Night, from On Death, Part I, Opus XI (Nacht, Vom Tode, Erster Teil, Opus XI)

1889

Max Klinger

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

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