Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte: Begegnung Schlemihls mit dem grauen Männlein auf der Landstrasse (Peter Schlemihl's Wondrous Story: Schlemihl Encounters the Little Gray Man on the Road)
Medium
color woodcut on wove paper
Dimensions
block: 29.9 x 29.7 cm (11 3/4 x 11 11/16 in.) overall: 41.3 x 35.4 cm (16 1/4 x 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
New Century Fund and Gift of Ruth and Jacob Kainen
Accession Number
1999.68.6
Art Historical Context
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a figure in the German Expressionist group Die Brücke, created vivid color woodcut in 1915, amid the turmoil of World War I. print illustrates a pivotal scene from Adelbert von Chamisso 1814 novella *Peter Schlemils wundersame Geschichte*, where protagonist encounters a mysterious gray man on a country road—foreshadowing his fateful deal to sell his shadow. Kirchner's choice of subject reflects his fascination with folklore, alienation, and the human psyche, themes central to Expressionism's raw emotional intensity. Rendered on wove paper, the work showcases Kirchner's ...
About the Artist
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1880–1938
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born on May 6, 1880, in Aschaffenburg, Germany, to parents Ernst and Maria Kirchner, part of a family of Prussian descent that frequently relocated due to his father's career as a chemical technician. After early schooling in various towns, he studied architecture at the Königliche Technische Hochschule (Technical University) in Dresden from 1901 to 1905, taking courses i...