Yours
The image displays an abstract black and white illustration with sharp, angular lines and shapes forming a chaotic composition in the lower section. The illustration features humanoid figures with elongated limbs and stylized faces, giving the impression of movement or dynamism. The shapes intertwine like interlocking pieces, creating a crowded scene. Above the illustration is a block of German text aligned to the left, and below is the number "6." This suggests it might be a page from a book or publication. The figures and lines could evoke a sense of conversation or a group discussion, but…
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Window mode follows your eyes with your camera, in this browser only: no picture or position leaves your device.

Umbra Vitae (in-text plate) from mock-up of Georg Heym: Umbra Vitae (Georg Heym: Shadow of Life)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880 - 1938)

and author Georg Heym (German, born Poland, 1887 - 1912)

printer Spamersche Buchdruckerei, Leipzig

publisher Kurt Wolff (German, 1887 - 1963)

1912/1922

Medium
woodcut from a bound volume with 51 woodcuts (including cover and front and back endpapers) on wove paper
Classification
Volume
Dimensions
book: 21.7 × 14.5 × 1.3 cm (8 9/16 × 5 11/16 × 1/2 in.)
Culture
German
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CG-W
Credit line
Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

More by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

See all

More Expressionism

See all