Max Klinger
Max Klinger was a German Symbolist artist who lived from 1857 until 1920. Multi-talented, he was a printmaker, writer, sculptor, and painter. Klinger believed in the idea of “Gesamtkunstwerk” or the “total work of art”. This is why he dabbled in a variety of artistic mediums, not just the visual arts.
Klinger was born in Leipzig, Germany in 1857. As a youth, he was interested in the prints and etchings of Francisco Goya and Adolph Menzel. Inspired, Klinger began art school in 1874 at the Grand Ducal Baden Art School in Karlsruhe. In 1875, he continued his education at the Royal Academy of Art in Berlin.
Klinger’s earliest art was etchings and engravings. He was a visionary artist, creating symbolic pieces which were sometimes grotesque. He first exhibited his art in 1878 at the 52nd Academy Exhibition in Berlin. He found fame when he published a series of etchings titled ‘Paraphrases about the Finding of a Glove.’ This series was based on images he saw in his dreams after finding a woman’s lost glove.
Between 1879 and 1910, Klinger printed thirteen series of themed etching art prints, which he called cycles. Each series was given a name and an opus number which was inspired by his love of music. Klinger used his prints to highlight contemporary social issues in what he called “the dark side of life.” Klinger’s print series were an inspiration for symbolist artists, including Edvard Munch, Lovis Corinth, Max Slevogt, and for future surrealist artists, such as Max Ernst.
In 1883, Klinger moved to Paris, France, where he already had an art following. In 1889, he moved to Rome, Italy. In Rome, he was inspired by the Italian Renaissance and antiquity in general. It was around this time that he started creating sculptures, which he soon became known for. In 1893, Klinger returned to Leipzig, Germany and became a member of the Munich Academy. For the rest of his career, he focused on his sculptures. His focus on the material and colors within influenced how his sculptures were crafted.
Though Klinger is most known for his associations with the German Symbolist art movement, he is seen in art history as the person who stylistically connected the Symbolist movement of the late-nineteenth century to the Surrealist movement of the early-twentieth century. Max Klinger died in 1920 at 63 years old.
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