Exhibition: The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900

Oct 1, 2009 - Jan 18, 2010 | Washington, DC

Käthe Kollwitz's etching "Woman with Dead Child," 1903 © picture-alliance / akg-images
Enlarge image
Käthe Kollwitz's etching "Woman with Dead Child," 1903
(© picture-alliance / akg-images)

The private worlds of late 19th-century Paris, Berlin, and London are reflected in some 120 beguiling, often enigmatic prints, drawings, illustrated books, and small sculptures. "This exhibition offers the public an opportunity to see a far less familiar repertoire of late 19th-century art. It is drawn primarily from the Gallery's own substantial collection of prints, drawings, and sculptures," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art.

This exhibition focuses on works of art that were not recommended for display in the parlor, sometimes because they were unsuitable, but mainly they were meant for private contemplation. Due to the fact that they tended to be stored away and viewed discreetly on chosen occasions, prints in particular encouraged the investigation of suggestive, sometimes disturbing scenes, including complex states of mind and expression of deep social tension.

Painter and sculptor Max Klinger, undated photo © picture-alliance/ dpa
Enlarge image
Painter and sculptor Max Klinger, undated photo
(© picture-alliance/ dpa)

Through eight themes  possession, nature, the city, creatures, reverie, obsession, abjection, violence, and death - The Darker Side of Light reveals highly engaging, often mysterious and beautiful works, mainly from France and Germany.(Courtesy National Gallery of Art)

The theme 'obsession' is illustrated by the bizarre and fanciful elements in the work of symbolist Max Klinger (1857-1920). Included in the exhibition are a series of dreamlike etchings involving a lover's fixation on a lost glove.

Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), a committed socialist and pacifist, expressed in her works empathy for the less fortunate, the victims of poverty, hunger, and war. She was influenced by Max Klinger and the writings of Emile Zola. Käthe Kollwitz became the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts. in 1933, she was expelled from the academy and her art declared "degenerate."

Location: National Gallery of Art, West Building, Constitution Avenue and Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC
Admission: Free
Opening Hours: Moday-Saturday from 10 am - 5pm; Sundays from 11am - 6pm
For information: 202-737-4215 or www.nga.gov