Artwork
Sonntagsreiter (Sunday Riders)
Sonntagsreiter (Sunday Riders) 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
Sonntagsreiter (Sunday Riders) is a 1920 drypoint print on laid paper by Lovis Corinth, a German artist known for transitioning from naturalism to expressionism after a stroke in 1911.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts four horse riders in a loose, dynamic composition, suggesting a casual Sunday outing. The expressive, sketchy quality may imply a focus on capturing movement and energy over detailed representation.
Technique & Style
Executed in drypoint, the work features characteristic scratchy, uneven lines. Corinth's post-stroke expressionist style is evident in the simplified forms of horses and riders, conveying a sense of spontaneity and urgency.
History & Provenance
Created in 1920, after Corinth's stylistic shift towards expressionism. Trained in Paris and Munich, he later led the Berlin Secession, influencing the development of early 20th-century German art.
Context
Part of Corinth's later graphic output, Sonntagsreiter reflects the broader Expressionist movement in early 20th-century Europe, emphasizing emotional intensity and expressive technique over naturalistic precision.
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.
