The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 14, 2025
Nude Woman with Mirror (Mädchen vor dem Spiegel)
1914
(German, 1884–1976)
Image: 50 x 39.8 cm (19 11/16 x 15 11/16 in.); Sheet: 61.7 x 50.5 cm (24 5/16 x 19 7/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davis in memory of Harvey Buchanan and Penelope Draper Buchanan 2016.607
Catalogue raisonné: Reidemeister 68, repr. fig. 43
Location: Not on view
Description
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff accentuated the material qualities of the woodblock used to make this print by leaving evidence of his gouging in the negative spaces and by emphasizing the simple, rough contours and flattened proportions of the female figure. While the traditional subject of a female nude in front of a mirror suggests an allegory of beauty or vanity, Schmidt-Rottluff’s nude avoids idealization. The model’s mask-like features and body decoration also reference tribal art, which Brücke artists admired at the Dresden ethnological museum, particularly the wooden relief carvings from Palau, Micronesia, that show similar forms and markings.- Graphic Discontent: German Expressionism on Paper. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 14-May 27, 2018).
- {{cite web|title=Nude Woman with Mirror (Mädchen vor dem Spiegel)|url=false|author=Karl Schmidt-Rottluff|year=1914|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.607