Composition (Große Komposition) 1913

This is "Composition" by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, a print made with etching and aquatint. The figures emerge from the silvery ground through this haze of tonality, as if the artist drew them with light itself. Look at how the linear elements are almost tentative, not quite closed. The use of aquatint gives the piece this incredible sense of depth and atmosphere. See how the bodies almost float in space, with just enough grounding to suggest a shared plane, and yet the negative space is so ambiguous. It feels like these figures are caught in a moment of transition, maybe from life to death, or from one state of being to another. Lehmbruck's work, especially his sculptures, often evokes a sense of melancholy, a longing for something just out of reach. You see this in the elongated forms and the graceful, almost mournful gestures of the figures, reminiscent of Rodin. In its ethereal quality, "Composition" invites us to contemplate the fragility and transience of human existence. It’s not just about seeing, but about feeling.