Die Heiligen drei Könige (The Three Magi) from Zehn Holzschnitte von Schmidt-Rottluff (Ten Woodcuts by Schmidt-Rottluff)
Maker and role
Artist: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, German, 1884-1976
Year
1917, printed 1919
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Object detail
Media/Materials
Woodcut
Measurements
image, 19 5/8 x 15 3/8in (49.8 x 39.1cm)
sheet, 23 1/2 x 19 1/2in (59.7 x 49.5cm)
sheet, 23 1/2 x 19 1/2in (59.7 x 49.5cm)
Credit line
Gift of Robert L. B. Tobin
Accession number
1981.44
Object type
Department
Location
Further information
The Die Brücke artists emphasized their connection with German Renaissance printmaking master Albrect Dürer, adopting his method of woodcut to create newsletters to send to paying members of the group. The woodcut, chosen because it was inexpensive, soon became the medium in which the artists could experiment with new styles. Here, Schmidt-Rottluff uses the sharp lines and stark contrasts between black and white to evoke the naive or primitive, highly desired among German Expressionists. Sharp, angular faces of the magi mimic African or Southeast Asian masks, which these artists collected and kept in their studios.
Copyright
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Signature & date
Signed l.r.: S-Rottluff
Detail date
1919
Subject period
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