The Burden

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
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
The Burden
Date
1919
Medium
Watercolor and graphite on medium cream wove paper with watermarks
Classification
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
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