Self-Portrait with Glasses (Selbstbildnis mit Brille)

Max Klinger

A printmaker, painter, and sculptor, Max Klinger began his art education in 1874 in Karlsruhe, Germany, at the dawn of the Nouveau renaissance. His introduction to art came from one of Germany's most prominent “daring painters”, Karl von Gussow. At a time when Symbolism was often considered separate from traditional artistic styles, Klinger would transcend the barrier, and his work would come to fall into several categories-in particular, his graphic works. Symbolist in nature while romantic and realist in execution, his etchings appeal to the viewer in vivid line and contrast, yet perhaps hold more power in their mystery.

His work would come to influence Käthe Kollwitz, Edvard Munch, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, and many others.