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German Expressionism

Works from the Collection


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THE COLLECTION

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From the portfolio

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  • Lovis Corinth. The Birth of Venus (Die Geburt der Venus) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    The Birth of Venus (Die Geburt der Venus)...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. The Birth of Venus (Die Geburt der Venus) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Burial (Grablegung) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Burial (Grablegung) from...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Burial (Grablegung) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Rudolf Rittner as Florian Geyer (Rudolf Rittner als Florian Geyer) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Rudolf Rittner as Florian Geyer (Rudolf...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Rudolf Rittner as Florian Geyer (Rudolf Rittner als Florian Geyer) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Death Lament (Totenklage) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Death Lament (Totenklage) for the...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Death Lament (Totenklage) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. The Victor (Der Sieger) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    The Victor (Der Sieger) from...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. The Victor (Der Sieger) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Crucifixion (After the altarpiece at Tölz) [Kreuzigung (nach dem Altarbild in Tölz)] for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Crucifixion (After the altarpiece at...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Crucifixion (After the altarpiece at Tölz) [Kreuzigung (nach dem Altarbild in Tölz)] for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Odysseus and the Beggar (Odysseus und der Bettler) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Odysseus and the Beggar (Odysseus und der...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Odysseus and the Beggar (Odysseus und der Bettler) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Martyrdom (Martyrium) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Martyrdom (Martyrium) for the...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Martyrdom (Martyrium) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. Protected by Weapons (Im Schutz der Waffen) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    Protected by Weapons (Im Schutz der...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. Protected by Weapons (Im Schutz der Waffen) for the portfolio Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
  • Lovis Corinth. The Bacchants (Bacchantenzug) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)
    The Bacchants (Bacchantenzug) from...
    (1921-22)
    Lovis Corinth. The Bacchants (Bacchantenzug) from Compositions (Kompositionen). (1921-22)

About the portfolio

Heather Hess, German Expressionist Digital Archive Project, German Expressionism: Works from the Collection. 2011.

Lovis Corinth reworked ten of his paintings as prints for this portfolio, which represents three of his preferred subjects—nudes, history, and literature. The paintings, originally executed between 1896 and 1915, had long since passed from his possession; one had been destroyed during World War I. Many had special significance to Corinth: Totenklage (Death lament) hung in his studio as his daughter was baptized, and Der Sieger (The victor) portrays him and his wife. For these graphic versions, Corinth completely reinterpreted the earlier compositions. In Grablegung (Burial), he reduced the number of figures in order to focus on the dead Jesus. He transformed Die Geburt der Venus (The birth of Venus) from a precisely detailed painting of academic nudes to a sketchy, barely legible swirl of frenetic lines surrounding voluptuous female bodies. These prints showcase Corinth's shift later in life toward a more expressive approach, in which he employed passionate draftsmanship and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow to convey emotion.

PUBLISHING HISTORY

In the inflationary print boom of the early 1920s, Corinth eagerly embraced printmaking for its financial promise. Julias Elias, a friend and important art critic, commissioned this portfolio for Propyläen-Verlag, a new fine-art imprint of Germany's largest publishing house at the time, the Berlin-based Ullstein.

Lovis Corinth (German, 1858–1925)

The Portfolio

Compositions

Date:
(1921-22)
Medium:
Portfolio of ten drypoints
Dimensions:
composition (see child records): dimensions vary; sheet (dimension varies): from 13 3/4 x 18 7/16" (35 x 46.9 cm) to 18 1/2 x 13 3/4" (47 x 35 cm)
Publisher:
Propyläen-Verlag, Berlin
Printer:
Alfred Ruckenbrod, Berlin
Reference:
Müller 553-559, 562,564-565.
MoMA Number:
Portfolio_Corinth_Compositions
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