Goatherd with Goats

1917

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Associated Names
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Artist, German, 1880 - 1938

The image shows a composition of dynamic, swirling lines and shapes, creating an abstract scene on the paper. Amidst the chaotic arrangement, certain lines form angles that could resemble rooftops, while others curl and swoop like branches. Subtle, vertical lines hint at figures or totems, and a few strokes suggest forms of an animal. The interplay of thick and thin lines throughout the piece produces layers, adding depth to the abstract impression conveyed by the artwork.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    graphite and pen and black ink on white board

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 38.1 × 50 cm (15 × 19 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.92.671

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dr Frédéric Bauer, Davos (not in Lugt). (Weintraub Gallery, New York); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C., purchased October 30, 1969; Gift to NGA, 2012.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

in image, at bottom left, in graphite: EL Kirchner 17; at bottom right, in graphite, by later hand: Coll of Dr. Bauer-Davos; on verso, in graphite: L (?) 1919 / 221.

Wikidata ID

Q64559856

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