Portrait of an Old Woman (Porträt einer Greisin)
Ludwig Meidner
European Art
In the drypoint process, the image is carved directly into the copper plate, which leaves a rough raised edge, or burr, along the lines that creates a fuzzy quality. For his sensitive portrayal of an elderly woman, Ludwig Meidner chose this technique to emphasize the topography of her face, from the bold line of her mouth to her deep-set eyes.
German Expressionist prints, including this drypoint, first entered the Brooklyn Museum collection in 1937. Brooklyn was among the first major American museums to acquire such work, a bold move during a period when anti-German sentiment ran high in the United States. It was also in 1937 that the Nazis condemned artists such as Meidner in their Degenerate Art exhibition in Germany.
German Expressionist prints, including this drypoint, first entered the Brooklyn Museum collection in 1937. Brooklyn was among the first major American museums to acquire such work, a bold move during a period when anti-German sentiment ran high in the United States. It was also in 1937 that the Nazis condemned artists such as Meidner in their Degenerate Art exhibition in Germany.
MEDIUM
Drypoint on laid paper
DATES
1920
DIMENSIONS
Image (Plate): 9 3/8 x 7 1/4 in. (23.8 x 18.4 cm)
Sheet: 15 3/4 x 11 11/16 in. (40 x 29.7 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
Verso stamped center: "BROOKLYN MUSEUM/BROOKLYN, N.Y." in rectangle (Lugt 307b)
INSCRIPTIONS
Lower right in graphite: "LMeidner"; lower left in graphite: "Greisin"; bottom center later addition graphite: "LUDWIG MEIDNER"
Verso center in graphite: "37.427"
COLLECTIONS
European Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
37.427
CREDIT LINE
Gift of J. B. Neumann
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Ludwig Meidner (German, 1884–1966). Portrait of an Old Woman (Porträt einer Greisin), 1920. Drypoint on laid paper, Image (Plate): 9 3/8 x 7 1/4 in. (23.8 x 18.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of J. B. Neumann, 37.427. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.427_bw_IMLS.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 37.427_bw_IMLS.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
© Ludwig Meidner-Archive, Jüdisches Museum der Stadt Frankfurt am Main
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