Signs of the Times IX (Symbole der Zeit IX) (plate, folio 35 verso) from the periodical Der Bildermann, vol. 1, no. 17 (Dec 1916)

Max Slevogt

1916

A 1916 lithograph in which Max Slevogt turns human bodies into grotesque, exaggerated figures to satirize and condemn the hunger, violence, and moral disintegration of wartime Europe.

You’re immediately caught by the urgent, blunt black strokes and the central, swollen figure ripping at a human limb while emaciated, frantic bodies strain and gesture—an image of raw, caricatured violence and desperation.

Produced for a wartime satirical periodical, the print exemplifies how early twentieth-century artists used lithography and grotesque imagery to make pointed social and political critique, helping define the visual language of modern protest and crisis.

Palette

Art Terms

Lithography Print Periodical Figurative Monochrome Expressionism Modern art

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