The Proposition, plate six from A Life
1884
Medium
Etching on ivory China paper, laid down on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 19.6 × 34.4 cm (7 3/4 × 13 9/16 in.); Plate, approx: 23.2 × 37 cm (9 3/16 × 14 5/8 in.); Primary support: 21.3 × 36.1 cm (8 7/16 × 14 1/4 in.); Secondary support, approx: 78.8 × 57.5 cm (31 1/16 × 22 11/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
155430
Art Historical Context
**The Proposition, plate six from *A Life*** *Max Klinger, 1884* Max Klinger's *The Proposition* is the sixth plate in his seminal etching cycle *A Life* (*Ein Leben*), a series of ten prints created in 1884 that the psychological and fantastical journey of a woman's existence. As a leading figure in German Symbolism, Klinger blended Realism's precision with dreamlike narratives, exploring themes of desire, fate, and the subconscious—ideas that foreshadowedian psychology. This work exemplifies his innovative approach to printmaking, where intricate vignettes unfold like a graphic novel, c...
About the Artist
Max Klinger · 1857–1920
Max Klinger, born on February 18, 1857, in Leipzig to a wealthy family, emerged as one of Germany's most innovative artists across painting, sculpture, printmaking, and graphics. Demonstrating early talent, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe in 1874 as a pupil of Karl Gussow, following his teacher to the Berlin Academy upon Gussow's appointment as director, and graduated in 1877 ...