Woman with a Veil
Medium
woodcut printed in black on blotting paper
Dimensions
image: 32 x 23.5 cm (12 5/8 x 9 1/4 in.) sheet: 45.5 x 34 cm (17 15/16 x 13 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
Accession Number
2012.92.684
Art Historical Context
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's *Woman with a Veil*1915) captures the raw emotional intensity of German Expressionism during the turbulent years of World War I As a founding member of the Brücke group, Kirchner championed a bold, anti-academic style that distorted forms to convey inner turmoil and modern alienation. Created while he was in Switzerland seeking refuge from military service and personal struggles, this woodcut the era's psychological depth, with the veiled figure evoking mystery and introspection amid global upheaval. The artwork's medium—a woodcut printed in stark black ink on blotting...
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...