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ONLINECOLLECTION

The Pillow, c. 1903

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Color woodcut on paper
38.6×30.6 cm

Artists

  • Max Kurzweil

    (Bisenz/Bzenec 1867–1916 Vienna)

Unfortunately not on display at the moment
The Pillow is the most important art print by Max Kurzweil (1867–1916) and one of the most significant prints of Viennese Jugendstil. The artist studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Under Emil Orlik (1870–1932) he learnt the technique of the Japanese colored woodblock cut. The Pillow is the culmination point of these studies. The print shows his wife who has made herself comfortable on a sofa with a large pillow. Max Kurzweil uses five very delicate pastel colors the combination of which required utmost care and attention both from the carver and the printer. The soft greyish mauve of the dress and its bouffant skirt is structured by folds in a slightly darker color. The viewer has a feeling of getting a glimpse of an intimate interior. The whole scene is steeped in a certain melancholy, maybe because of the women’s turned-away pose with her face buried in her arms, maybe because of the pale mauve color tone.

Object data

Artist/author
  • Max Kurzweil
Title
The Pillow
Date
c. 1903
Art movement
Art Nouveau
Category
Graphic work
Material​/technique
Color woodcut on paper
Dimensions
38.6×30.6 cm
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 3628
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Keywords

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (o.D.);
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (1994)

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