Mountains and Lake
1923
Medium
engraving in white on black paper
Dimensions
plate: 33 × 24.5 cm (13 × 9 5/8 in.) sheet: 40.4 × 32.5 cm (15 7/8 × 12 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Christopher and Beverly With in memory of Karl and Gerda With
Accession Number
2012.119.20
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking "Mountains and Lake"1923), an engraving by Otto Rodewald, housed in the National Gallery of Art. Created in the interwar years, this print captures a dramatic landscape through an innovative technique: white-line engraving on black paper. Rather than the traditional black lines on white, Rodewald incised bright white lines into the dark sheet, evoking a luminous, almost nocturnal glow—as if moonlight illuminates jagged peaks and a tranquil lake below. The plate measures 33 × 24.5 cm, with the full sheet slightly larger at 40.4 × 32.5 cm, inviting intimate contemplation. Th...