Illustration to Heine, "Florentinische Naechte"
published 1948
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
wood engraving [trial proof]
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.17.448
Art Historical Context
Imre Reiner's *Illustration to Heine, "Florentinischeaechte"* (1948) is a delicate wood engraving trial proof, capturing the romantic allure of Heinrich Heine's1837 novella cycle set amid Florence's moonlit nights. These poetic tales blend philosophy, love, and Italian splendor, and Reiner's image evokes their dreamlike intimacy through intricate line work. Published postwar, it reflects a renewed interest in literary illustration amid Europe's cultural recovery. As a master of wood engraving—a demanding technique where fine tools carve designs into end-grain wood blocks for sharp, tonal repr...
About the Artist
Imre Reiner
**Imre Reiner** (1900–1987) was a Hungarian-born Swiss painter, graphic artist, typographer, and master illustrator whose multifaceted career bridged sculpture, experimental typography, and exquisite wood engravings. Born on August 18, 1900, in Versec (now Vršac, Serbia) to a Jewish family—his father a sculptor and stone carver who apprenticed him young—Reiner began formal studies at age 15 in scu...