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Jakob van Hoddis (recto); Untitled (Sketch of Buildings (verso)

A work made of pen and brush and black ink, over graphite (recto), and graphite and charcoal (verso), on ivory wove paper.

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  • A work made of pen and brush and black ink, over graphite (recto), and graphite and charcoal (verso), on ivory wove paper.

Date:

1914 (recto); c. 1914 (verso)

Artist:

Ludwig Meidner
German, 1884-1966

About this artwork

Meidner depicted the Expressionist poet Jakob van Hoddis (Hans Davidsohn, 1887-1942) several times. He was one of Meidner’ s best friends, and the two of them would frequently take evening walks together through the streets of Berlin. Perhaps the most influential of the Expressionist literati, van Hoddis is often credited with writing the first truly Expressionist poem, his Weltende (End of the World), which consummates the apocalyptic hopes and fears of his generation. In 1914, van Hoddis became mentally ill and was put in an institution, from which he would later be taken by the Nazis and killed.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Ludwig Meidner

Title

Jakob van Hoddis (recto); Untitled (Sketch of Buildings (verso)

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1909–1919

Medium

Pen and brush and black ink, over graphite (recto), and graphite and charcoal (verso), on ivory wove paper

Dimensions

45.9 × 41.6 cm (18 1/8 × 16 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas E. Cohen

Reference Number

1987.286

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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