Bär und Elfe, from the series Intermezzi
n.d.
Dimensions
Sheet: 16 5/16 in. × 11 in. (41.4 × 28 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Edward Robinson, 1952
Accession Number
52.594.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the enchanting print *B und Elfe* (Bear and Elf), Max Klinger's series *Intermez*, a fantastical encounter between a majestic bear and a delicate female nude—likely the "elfe" or of the title—amidst a wooded landscape of trees. This evocative image, measuring 16 5/16 × inches, captures Klinger's mastery the graphic arts, blending the mythical with the sensual in a dreamlike composition. Produced as part of his *Intermezzi* series it exemplifies the artist's fascination with nature's wildness and human (or) form, evoking sense of whimsical yet intimate. Max Klinger, pioneering German Symbo...
About the Artist
Max Klinger · 1857–1920
Max Klinger, born on February 18, 1857, in Leipzig to a wealthy family, emerged as one of Germany's most innovative artists across painting, sculpture, printmaking, and graphics. Demonstrating early talent, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe in 1874 as a pupil of Karl Gussow, following his teacher to the Berlin Academy upon Gussow's appointment as director, and graduated in 1877 ...