Sleeping Shepherdess by Franz Marc

This exceptional graphic work bears witness to the dramatic power of the German Expressionist movement. In this striking black and white composition of remarkable dynamism, the engraver Marc Franz expresses a raw expressive power with a creation entitled “Sleeping Shepherdess”. This woodcut work illustrates the author’s search for a simplified and energetic visual language, close to primitive arts. Through this remarkable print, the artist explores the physical symbiosis between human and animal.

The scene shows a lying nude woman, occupying most of the graphic composition. She is represented in a dynamic and contorted pose, her left arm folded behind her head and one leg raised. At her feet, on the left, a small horned animal resembling a goat or a kid is shown lying down, huddled against her. Thick and sinuous black lines sculpt the generous shapes of her body against the light paper background. The background is structured by dense hatching and oblique lines that evoke stylized vegetation or light rays. The extreme contrast between the areas of deep black and the clarity of the ocher paper creates a remarkable dramatic tension.

The mastery of woodcut is revealed in the power of the carving and the sharpness of the contrasts. Marc Franz shows first-rate craftsmanship in sculpting the material and translating movement through clean and expressive lines. This powerful visual translation reflects his unique skill as a master of the medium.