Absage

1926

Gerhard Marcks

Associated Names
Gerhard Marcks

Artist, German, 1889 - 1981

This is a drawing of geometric and stylized human forms arranged in an abstract composition. The drawing features a central figure sitting in a contemplative pose, characterized by exaggerated, angular features and an elongated face. Beside it, there are other figures that appear to be holding a piece of cloth above the central figure. The lines are bold and graphic, creating a stylized and modernist aesthetic. The use of hatching and black outlines suggests an emphasis on form and contrast rather than color or texture.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut in black on japan paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen

  • Dimensions

    block: 26.1 x 21.6 cm (10 1/4 x 8 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 40.8 x 30.8 cm (16 1/16 x 12 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2007.141.13

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ernst Rathenau, Berlin and New York; (his estate sale, Sotheby's London, April 20, 1988, lot 305); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C.; gift to NGA, 2007. [1]
[1] The donor files also include a receipt for another impression of this composition purchased from E. Weyhe, Inc., New York, on November 14, 1970.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower center in graphite: Absage; lower right in graphite: Marcks 1926

Wikidata ID

Q76438987

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