Dimensions: 45 x 37 cm
Frame: yes
Alfred Kubin (Austrian, 1877-1959) was a printmaker, writer, and illustrator associated with Symbolism and Expressionism. Born in Bohemia, Kubin served as an apprentice to landscape photographer Alois Beer, before enrolling in the Munich Academy in 1899. Though he didn't finish his studies, during his time in Munich, he was exposed to works by some of the most important artists of the day, including Edvard Munch, James Ensor, and Henry de Groux.
In particular, the aquatint technique used by Francisco de Goya and printmaker, painter, and sculptor Max Klinger influenced his early artistic development. His ink and wash drawings from this period are characterized by Symbolist themes and their inclusion of deformed figures and fantastical monsters. By 1910, he had limited his artistic output to pen and ink drawings, watercolors, and lithographs, and continued to create dark and macabre images.
In 1911, he became associated with the Expressionist group Der Blaue Riter, and exhibited works alongside Paul Klee and Franz Marc at the Galerie Der Sturm in Berlin in 1913.
