First Encounter (from the series A Love)
1887–1903
Medium
Etching and aquatint; third edition; state five of seven
Dimensions
Plate: 17 1/2 × 10 7/16 in. (44.5 × 26.5 cm) Sheet: 21 7/8 × 15 15/16 in. (55.6 × 40.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dr. F. H. Hirschland, 1952
Accession Number
52.586.1(2)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
"First Encounter" is a captivating print from Max Klinger's renowned series *A Love* (Eine Liebe), created between 1887 and 1903. This Symbolist masterpiece, executed by printer Wilhelm Felsing, depicts an intimate moment between men and women amid lush gardens blooming with roses—a poetic nod to budding romance and nature's sensual embrace. As the inaugural plate in Klinger's 12-part cycle, it sets the stage for a fantastical narrative blending human emotion with dreamlike reverie, characteristic of the artist's exploration of love's mysteries. Klinger's style fuses meticulous realism with Symbolist fantasy, influenced by German Romanticism and the emerging Jugendstil movement. The medium—etching and aquatint—lends extraordinary depth: etching carves precise lines for intricate details like flowing fabrics and thorny roses, while aquatint's tonal washes evoke misty atmospheres and velvety textures, mimicking painting on paper. This third-edition impression, state five of seven, reveals Klinger's iterative refinement process, where subtle changes enhanced mood and subtlety. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Dr. F. H. Hirschland, 1952), "First Encounter" exemplifies late 19th-century printmaking's technical innovation and cultural allure. It invites visitors to ponder love's eternal dance, where gardens symbolize paradise and peril. (198 words)
About the Artist
Wilhelm Felsing|Max Klinger (German| ) · 1857 | –1920 |
German, Leipzig 1857–1920 Großjena|