Artwork
Lesendes Mädchen (Girl Reading)
Lesendes Mädchen (Girl Reading) is an ink print by Lovis Corinth. It dates from 1911 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1911, *Lesendes Mädchen* is a black lithograph on wove paper by German artist Lovis Corinth. The image captures a young woman absorbed in reading, rendered with minimal line work that emphasizes a quiet, intimate atmosphere. The work belongs to the print medium and exemplifies Corinth’s post‑stroke period, when his approach became more spontaneous and his tonal range intensified.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a solitary figure seated in a tranquil interior, her head bowed and hair gathered back, revealing a profile as she turns the pages of a book. The restrained lines convey a moment of personal contemplation, inviting viewers to share the private focus of the reader without overt narrative detail.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the piece relies on the contrast of black ink against the smooth surface of wove paper. Corinth’s handling is loose, with fluid strokes that suggest form rather than delineate it, reflecting the broader move in his work toward expressive, less naturalistic rendering after his 1911 stroke.
History & Provenance
Corinth, trained in Paris and Munich, rose to prominence as a painter and printmaker before assuming leadership of the Berlin Secession following Max Liebermann. *Lesendes Mädchen* was produced during the transitional phase after his stroke, a period marked by heightened color and gestural freedom, although this particular print remains monochrome.
Context
The lithograph emerges at a time when German art was shifting from strict naturalism toward the emotive qualities that would later define Expressionism. Corinth’s evolving style mirrors this broader cultural movement, positioning the work within early twentieth‑century debates about the role of emotion and abstraction in visual art.
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.
