Myths, Archetypes, Visions, and the Turmoil of the Psyche
This exhibition presents a selection of significant and captivating works from the golden age of printmaking between the 1800s and 1900s in German-speaking European countries. During this period, a considerable number of artists embraced Max Klinger’s theoretical concepts on Griffelkunst (the Art of the Stylus), choosing engraving as their preferred medium to express their most intimate and hidden individuality, often revealing the darker sides of the unconscious. Their themes are bold and daring, exploring the realms of the soul connected to dreams, eros, mystery, and the supernatural without inhibition or restraint.
The titanic and classicist mythology of Max Klinger, Rudolf Jettmar, Alois Kolb, Hans Thoma, and Sigmund Lipinsky intertwines with the hallucinatory vision of Albert Welti, Otto Weigel, Fritz Schwinbeck, Alfred Kubin, Stefan Eggeler, Georg Erler, and Julius Diez, depicting scenes of witches, sirens, medusas, and haunted houses. The exhibition also includes several pieces on the theme of Salome and ventures into mystical and occult Prague.