The Burden

Kahlil Gibran

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

The unusual and otherworldly subject of a small mother-and-child group held aloft by two large disembodied hands in this drawing typifies the imagery of the artist and writer Kahlil Gibran. Like his fellow Symbolist Elihu Vedder (whose work is displayed nearby), Gibran was preoccupied with the transcendence of the soul and the universal experiences of love, spirituality, and the life cycle. The Burden alludes to themes of maternal responsibility and the role of a divine agent guiding human endeavors.

Caption

Kahlil Gibran (American, born Lebanon, 1883–1931). The Burden, 1919. Watercolor and graphite on medium cream wove paper with watermarks, Sheet: 11 1/16 x 8 9/16 in. (28.1 x 21.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Frank L. Babbott, 21.277. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

American Art

Title

The Burden

Date

1919

Medium

Watercolor and graphite on medium cream wove paper with watermarks

Classification

Drawing

Dimensions

Sheet: 11 1/16 x 8 9/16 in. (28.1 x 21.7 cm)

Signatures

Signed and dated lower right in graphite: "K. G. / 1919"

Markings

Watermark in paper: "HIAWATHA BOND"

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Frank L. Babbott

Accession Number

21.277

Rights

No known copyright restrictions

This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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