Rabbi Reading

1919-1920

Max Weber

Associated Names
Max Weber

Artist, American, born Russia (now Poland), 1881 - 1961

This is a drawing of an abstract figure resembling a person reading. The image uses bold, simplified lines to suggest the form of a figure wearing a hat and interacting with a book, with exaggerated and stylized features, like the oversized nose and beard. The style is reminiscent of early 20th-century modernist abstraction, reducing forms to essential elements. The lines and shapes create a dynamic balance of positive and negative space, contributing to the overall abstract quality of the piece. The use of a monochromatic color palette in brown adds to the simplicity and focus on form and line.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    color woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Jack and Margrit Vanderryn

  • Dimensions

    image: 10.8 × 4.92 cm (4 1/4 × 1 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 16.35 × 14.61 cm (6 7/16 × 5 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.114.31

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Rubenstein 2013, no. 15

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Catherine E. Burns, Oakland, California); Jack and Margrit Vanderryn, Bethesda, Maryland, 1990; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1956

  • Weber, Max. Woodcuts and Linoleum Blocks. New York: E. Weyhe, 1956.

2013

  • Rubenstein, Daryl R. Max Weber: A Catalogue Raisonné of His Graphic Work. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 2013, pp. 38, 152-154, fig. 6, no. 15.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: MAX WEBER; lower left corner in graphite by unknown hand: "Pensioned"

Wikidata ID

Q77015783

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