The Dead Woman (Die Tote) for the portfolio Die Schaffenden, 2, no. 2
Erich Heckel
German, 1883–1970
(1912), dated 1919, (published 1920)
A stark woodcut showing three anguished figures gathered around a dead woman, with the artist using deeply carved, primitive lines to deliver a raw emotional impact.
The eye is grabbed by high-contrast black-and-white: jagged, mask-like faces and slashed white cuts carve out a claustrophobic, tense scene that reads as both ritual and outcry.
Made within the Die Brücke circle, this print exemplifies how Expressionist artists revived the rough woodcut to make direct, public confrontations with death, emotion, and the alienation of modern life.
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
composition: 9 7/8 x 11 5/8" (25.1 x 29.5 cm); sheet (irreg.): 12 5/16 x 14 3/8" (31.3 x 36.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
630.1956
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
