Mask
1919-1920
Medium
color woodcut on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 10.64 × 4.92 cm (4 3/16 × 1 15/16 in.) sheet: 23.65 × 16.99 cm (9 5/16 × 6 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Jack and Margrit Vanderryn
Accession Number
2015.114.47
Art Historical Context
Max Weber's *Mask* (1919-1920) is a striking color woodcut on laid paper, capturing the modernist fascination with primitive forms during the post-World War I era. Measuring just 10.64 × 4.92 cm in its image area, this intimate print exemplifies Weber's exploration of Cubist and Expressionist influences. Born in Russia and active in New York's avant-garde scene, Weber drew inspiration from African and Oceanic art, much like his contemporaries Picasso and Matisse. The angular, abstracted visage evokes ritual masks, blending cultural motifs with geometric fragmentation to convey mystery and emot...
About the Artist
Max Weber
Max Weber (1881–1961), born in Białystok in the Russian Empire (now Poland) to Orthodox Jewish parents, immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, at age ten with his family, joining his tailor father.) There, he pursued art studies at the Pratt Institute under Arthur Wesley Dow, an innovative teacher who emphasized expression and form over traditional narrative, drawing from Japanese art and Paul Gauguin....