Portrait

A man is staring intently, wrinkling his brows. His eyes reflect the reproach and bitterness of existence but, at the same time, the vivacity of his mind. Geiger had a specific idea in mind in depicting the head alone - he rejected elements that might draw the viewer's attention. The graphics were created during a period of a return to realism in art. This direction, known as the so-called Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), manifested itself in an exact representation of reality with such accuracy that it gained a transcendental, spiritual dimension. In some works, it even acquired a magical aura. The portrait by Thomas Mann was probably made at the turn of 1926 and 1927 as a pendant (pair) to his brother, Heinrich Mann's likeness, engraved in 1927. The two heads were contrasted. They reflect the distinct personalities of the writers while faithfully rendering their physiognomies. The engraving, made with dry point technique, was printed on thick, cream-coloured velin paper around 1926/1927, probably by Verlag für moderne Graphik Bavaria. The publishing house bought it for the Szczecin City Museum's collection.Willi Geiger was born in 1878 in Schönbrunn near Landshut and died in 1971 in Munich. He studied in Munich at the School of Arts and Crafts and later at the Academy of Arts. The Symbolists, his friendship with the Expressionists, and a study trip to Spain influenced his work. He was a painter, graphic artist and teacher. He worked in Berlin, Munich and Leipzig.

Ewa Gwiazdowska