Artwork
Der Fahnenträger (The Standard Bearer)
Der Fahnenträger (The Standard Bearer) is an ink print by Lovis Corinth. It dates from 1920 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1920, *Der Fahnenträger* (The Standard Bearer) is a black-and-white print by German artist Lovis Corinth. Executed with drypoint and roulette on wove paper, the work belongs to the later stage of Corinth’s career, when his approach had shifted toward a more vigorous, expressive handling of line and form.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a solitary figure in a heavy coat, his bald head and mustache emphasizing a stern demeanor. He grasps a flagpole with his right hand, suggesting the role of a standard‑bearer. The dark, textured background frames the man, reinforcing a sense of solemn duty and the weight of the emblem he carries.
Technique & Style
Corinth employed drypoint, incising lines directly into the paper’s surface, and a roulette tool to produce a field of fine, stippled marks. The resulting lines appear as if carved, yielding a rough, tactile quality. The composition’s loose, dynamic strokes reflect the artist’s post‑stroke period, when his work merged impressionistic fluidity with expressionist intensity.
History & Provenance
Lovis Corinth, trained in Paris and Munich, rose to prominence as a leading figure of the Berlin Secession. After a debilitating stroke in 1911, his palette and handling grew more expressive, a change evident in this print. *Der Fahnenträger* remains documented as part of his printmaking output from the early 1920s, held in several European museum collections.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lovis Corinth was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism.
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