Rape II (Raub II, Weib halb)

Art Historical Context

**Rape II (Raub II, Weib halb)**, created by German Expressionist Wilhelm Lehmbruck in 1, is a poignant drypoint print from the Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection. Lehmbruck, renowned for elongated, emotive sculptures that convey spiritual anguish, turned to printmaking during this period to explore raw human suffering. The title, translating to "Rape II (Plunder II, Woman Half)," suggests a fragmented female figure amid themes of violence and violation—hallmarks of early 20th-century Expressionism, which rejected naturalism for distorted forms expressing inner turmoil. Drypoint, Lehmbruck's chosen medium here, involves scratching directly into a metal plate, producing rich, velvety lines from the burr raised by the needle. This technique lends the work an intimate, tactile quality, amplifying its emotional depth compared to smoother etching processes. Created just before World War I, it reflects the era's growing unease in Europe, where artists like Lehmbruck grappled with modernity's darker undercurrents. Housed in the NGA's Department of Modern Prints (CG-W), this piece highlights Lehmbruck's versatility beyond sculpture and his influence on German modernism. Though he tragically died young in 1919, works like *Rape II* endure as powerful testaments to the human form's vulnerability, inviting visitors to ponder the intersection of beauty and brutality.

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...