Artwork
A Glove: Anxieties
A Glove: Anxieties is a print by the Impressionist artist Max Klinger. It dates from 1880 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1880 by German artist Max Klinger, *A Glove: Anxieties* is a print that forms part of his larger series *Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove*. The work reflects Klinger’s involvement with Symbolist ideas and the emerging Jugendstil aesthetic, and it demonstrates his interest in the expressive possibilities of graphic media.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a solitary woman in an elaborately decorated interior, her right hand extended to hold a single glove. Her facial expression conveys tension, suggesting an inner worry that resonates with the title’s reference to anxiety. Objects such as a clock, a mirror and a bouquet of flowers populate the space, offering symbolic cues that deepen the psychological narrative.
Technique & Style
Klinger employs strong chiaroscuro, contrasting deep shadows with illuminated areas to model the figure and accentuate the glove. This manipulation of light creates a three‑dimensional effect within the flat plane of the print, guiding the viewer’s attention to the central gesture and the woman’s face.
History & Provenance
The print emerged during a period when Klinger was active across painting, sculpture, and printmaking, and when he was aligning himself with the Vienna Secession and the broader German Art Nouveau movement. It was produced as part of his exploration of symbolic motifs that would later influence his larger body of work.
Context
*A Glove: Anxieties* belongs to a series that investigates the emotional and symbolic resonance of a lost glove, a motif that recurs in Klinger’s oeuvre. The work reflects late‑19th‑century preoccupations with inner states, the uncanny, and the decorative language of Jugendstil, situating it within contemporary debates about the role of graphic art in expressing psychological depth.
Artist & collection
Artist
Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of…
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