Who painted The Burial (Begrabnis)?

The Burial (Begrabnis) was painted by Walter Gramatté in 1916.

Where can I see The Burial (Begrabnis)?

The Burial (Begrabnis) is held by National Gallery of Art.

Artwork

The Burial (Begrabnis)

Walter Gramatté , 1916

The Burial (Begrabnis) is a print by Walter Gramatté. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Walter Gramatté’s 1916 print *The Burial (Begrabnis)* is a black linocut executed on thin Japanese paper. The image presents a stark, monochrome composition dominated by a cluster of figures gathered around a central, jagged form, set against a minimal landscape of distant buildings and a winding road.

Subject & Meaning

The scene suggests a funeral or ritual gathering, with the central spiky structure evoking a tomb or symbolic marker. The anonymity of the figures and the oppressive darkness convey a mood of collective mourning, reflecting Gramatté’s preoccupation with loss and existential anxiety during the First World War.

Technique & Style

Gramatté employed the linocut process, carving bold, thick lines into a linoleum block and printing them with dense black ink. The resulting marks have a woodcut‑like vigor, while the delicate Japanese paper accentuates the contrast between the heavy outlines and the paper’s subtle texture.

History & Provenance

Created while Gramatté was living and working in Berlin, the print emerged amid his itinerant career that also took him to Hamburg, Hiddensee, and Barcelona. It was produced during a period when the artist’s health was deteriorating, a circumstance that intensified the somber tone of his work.

Context

*The Burial* belongs to Gramatté’s broader engagement with expressionist aesthetics, merging intense emotional content with symbolic, almost mystical imagery. The work aligns with the era’s broader trend of using printmaking to convey personal and societal trauma in a direct, graphic manner.

Legacy

Although not as widely reproduced as his paintings, the print exemplifies Gramatté’s contribution to early 20th‑century German expressionism, illustrating how linocut could serve as a vehicle for profound psychological and spiritual exploration.