Artwork
Girl with Hand
Girl with Hand is an ink print by Walter Gramatté. It dates from 1923 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Walter Gramatté’s 1923 etching titled *Girl with Hand* presents a solitary young figure rendered in monochrome on laid cream paper. The composition centers on a girl whose hands frame her cheeks, her gaze directed forward with a subdued intensity. A dark, textured backdrop suggests a veil of shadow, enhancing the intimate atmosphere of the work.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a moment of quiet introspection, the girl’s posture and the delicate positioning of her hands conveying a sense of self‑containment. The directness of her stare, coupled with the enveloping darkness, invites contemplation of inner emotional states, a theme recurrent in Gramatté’s oeuvre, which often explores personal and mystical dimensions of the human experience.
Technique & Style
Created through traditional etching, Gramatté incised the image onto a metal plate, then transferred it onto cream‑colored laid paper. Fine, precise lines delineate the hair and hands, while broader, textured strokes form the background. The stark contrast between black ink and the paper’s warm tone underscores the expressionist emphasis on emotional depth over realistic representation.
History & Provenance
Gramatté produced the work during a prolific period spanning Berlin, Hamburg, Hiddensee, and Barcelona, where he engaged with the German expressionist movement.
Gramatté produced the work during a prolific period spanning Berlin, Hamburg, Hiddensee, and Barcelona, where he engaged with the German expressionist movement. The etching emerged amid his post‑World War I output, reflecting the personal turmoil and illness that shaped his artistic trajectory. Its subsequent ownership history remains documented within collections of early 20th‑century German prints.
Context
*Girl with Hand* aligns with the broader currents of German expressionism, which prioritized subjective experience and psychological intensity. Gramatté’s blend of magical realism and expressionist vigor situates the piece within a network of artists responding to the upheavals of the interwar years, using printmaking to disseminate emotionally charged imagery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Walter Gramatté (8 January 1897 in Berlin – 9 February 1929 in Hamburg) was a German expressionist painter who specialized in magic realism.
Self-Portrait in Front of Stairs (Selbst vor Treppe)
Tired Man (Self-Portrait)
Smiling Head, Self-portrait (Lächelnder Kopf, Selbstporträt)
Self-Portrait
Man in a Room, Self-portrait
Man at the Sea, Self-portrait (Mann am Meer, Selbstporträt)
Bust of a Young Man, Self-portrait (Knabenkopf, Selbstporträt)
The Couple, Self-Portrait with Wife (Das Paar, Selbstporträt mit Frau)
