Passion II (Leidenschaft II)

Art Historical Context

**Passion II (Leidenschaft II)**, created by German Expressionist Wilhelm Lehmbruck in 4, captures the raw emotional intensity that defined his oeuvre just as World War I erupted. Lehmbruck, renowned for his elongated, spiritual figures in sculpture, translated this modernist vision into prints, exploring themes of human suffering and inner turmoil. The title evokes profound passion or agony—*Leidenschaft* in German—resonating with the era's pre-war anxieties and the Expressionist drive to externalize inner anguish through distorted forms and heightened emotion. This drypoint etching exemplifies the technique's tactile power: Lehmbruck scratched directly into the copper plate, raising a soft burr that yields velvety, textured lines full of depth and immediacy. Unlike smoother engraving, drypoint's intimate process mirrors the artist's personal touch, lending the work an almost sculptural quality. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's esteemed Rosenwald Collection, it highlights early 20th-century printmaking's role in democratizing avant-garde art. Lehmbruck's brief but influential career bridged Symbolism and modernism, influencing later generations. *Passion II* invites visitors to ponder the fragile human spirit amid historical upheaval—a poignant reminder of art's enduring voice.

About the Artist

Wilhelm Lehmbruck · 1881–1919

Wilhelm Lehmbruck (1881–1919) was a German sculptor whose elongated, melancholic figures rank among the most moving works produced by European Expressionism. Born in Duisburg-Meiderich into a working-class family, Lehmbruck studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Düsseldorf and later at the Düsseldorf Academy, where he mastered the academic tradition before pushing beyond it toward a more pers...