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German Expressionism

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  • Lovis Corinth. Title page  from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Title page from William Tell...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Title page  from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) from...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Tell Saves Baumgarten from the Bailiff's Riders (Tell rettet Baumgarten vor den Reitern des Landvogtes) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Tell Saves Baumgarten from the Bailiff's...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Tell Saves Baumgarten from the Bailiff's Riders (Tell rettet Baumgarten vor den Reitern des Landvogtes) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Attinghausen and Rudenz (Attinghausen und Rudenz) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Attinghausen and Rudenz (Attinghausen und...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Attinghausen and Rudenz (Attinghausen und Rudenz) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. The Oath on Rütli (Der Schwur auf dem Rütli) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    The Oath on Rütli (Der Schwur auf...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. The Oath on Rütli (Der Schwur auf dem Rütli) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. The Raising of the Hat (Die Aufrichtung des Hutes) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    The Raising of the Hat (Die Aufrichtung...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. The Raising of the Hat (Die Aufrichtung des Hutes) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Tell and His Son in Front of the Hat (Tell und sein Sohn vor dem Hut) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Tell and His Son in Front of the Hat...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Tell and His Son in Front of the Hat (Tell und sein Sohn vor dem Hut) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Tell's Shot (Der Tell-Schuss) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Tell's Shot (Der Tell-Schuss) from...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Tell's Shot (Der Tell-Schuss) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Tell's Leap (Der Tell-Sprung) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Tell's Leap (Der Tell-Sprung) from...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Tell's Leap (Der Tell-Sprung) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. The Death of Attinghausen (Der Tod Attinghausens) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    The Death of Attinghausen (Der Tod...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. The Death of Attinghausen (Der Tod Attinghausens) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. "Through this Narrow Pass He Must Come" ("Durch diese hohle Gasse muss er kommen") from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    "Through this Narrow Pass He Must...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. "Through this Narrow Pass He Must Come" ("Durch diese hohle Gasse muss er kommen") from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Gessler's Death (Gesslers Tod) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Gessler's Death (Gesslers Tod)...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Gessler's Death (Gesslers Tod) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
  • Lovis Corinth. Johannes Parricida with Tell (Johannes Parricida bei Tell) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)
    Johannes Parricida with Tell (Johannes...
    (1923-24, published 1925)
    Lovis Corinth. Johannes Parricida with Tell (Johannes Parricida bei Tell) from William Tell (Wilhelm Tell). (1923-24, published 1925)

About the portfolio

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

Lovis Corinth often cloaked allusions to contemporary politics in historical dress. In these thirteen lithographs for an illustrated edition of Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell (William Tell), Corinth addressed individual freedom and political rebellion—highly relevant issues in the tumultuous years following the end of the German empire—through the legend of the Swiss national hero who fought against tyranny. The prints are typical of Corinth's late expressive style, in which he sacrificed figurative legibility for emotional drama. His rapid, sketchy approach in Der Tell-Schuss (Tell's shot), for example, underscores the urgency of the famous moment when Tell must shoot an apple off his son's head for failing to pay homage to a symbol of the emperor. The image, a blur of warm, exuberant color, conveys the swirling rush of fear, anger, and determination that focused Tell's resolve to save his child and take revenge on the unjust ruler.

Corinth knew Schiller's play well. His father had given him a copy for his twelfth birthday. The artist had passed that copy down to his own son, Thomas, in 1914, and he consulted it when making these prints after visiting Switzerland in 1923.

Lovis Corinth (German, 1858–1925)

The Portfolio

William Tell (Wilhelm Tell)

Date:
(1923-24, published 1925)
Medium:
Portfolio of thirteen lithographs (including title page)
Dimensions:
sheet (each, irreg.): 14 9/16 x 10 13/16" (37 x 27.4 cm)
Paper:
Cream, smooth, laid.
Publisher:
Karl Nierendorf, Berlin
Printer:
A. Rogall, Berlin
Edition:
200 (including 25, signed, on Japan paper; 75, signed, on "Bütten" paper [this ex.] and 100, signed, on copperplate printing paper)
Credit Line:
Gift of J. B. Neumann
Reference:
Müller 775-787.
MoMA Number:
364.1956.1-13
Themes:
Literary Subjects
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