Death (Der Tod) from the periodical in portfolio form Die Schaffenden, vol. 2, no. 1
Christian Rohlfs
German, 1849–1938
(c. 1912-13, published 1920)
A woodcut print in which Rohlfs confronts mortality by depicting a mask‑like Death bending over a sleeping figure on a narrow bed.
You’re struck by a broad, painterly sweep of dark ink that reads as a looming shadow, while the figures are pared to raw, carved lines and white space so the scene feels like a stark, immediate nightmare.
Produced in the era of German Expressionism, this work demonstrates how artists revived the woodcut’s tactile force to make inner psychological and social anxieties visible, helping to steer modern printmaking toward raw emotional expression.
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
composition: 8 x 9 9/16" (20.3 x 24.3 cm); sheet: 12 1/8 x 15 13/16" (30.8 x 40.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Grace Borgenicht (Fund)
Accession
114.1955
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
![Death as a Juggler (Revolution) [Tod als Jongleur (Revolution)]](https://www.moma.org/media/W1siZiIsIjExNzE5MiJdLFsicCIsImNvbnZlcnQiLCItcmVzaXplIDEwMjR4MTAyNFx1MDAzZSJdXQ.jpg?sha=b35e5b9c613da900)
