In der hängematte II (In the Hammock II)

Corinth employed drypoint to create rich, velvety black lines that bite deeply into the paper, producing a tactile intensity. The contours of the body and hammock are defined by bold, overlapping strokes, with minimal background detail to focus attention on form. Subtle tonal gradations suggest light and shadow without traditional chiaroscuro, relying instead on the density of ink and the texture of the laid paper to convey volume and atmosphere.

Corinth produced this print during his tenure as president of the Berlin Secession, a position he assumed after Max Liebermann. Though he remained active in Berlin’s art circles, his post-stroke work increasingly turned inward, focusing on personal subjects like family and self-portraiture. *In der hängematte II* was likely made in his studio in Zandvoort or Berlin, where he spent his final years refining a more expressive, less polished aesthetic.

In the aftermath of World War I, German art grappled with trauma, identity, and the body’s fragility. Corinth’s late prints, including this one, reflect a broader cultural turn toward psychological realism. Unlike the angular distortions of pure Expressionism, his work retains a grounded physicality, merging emotional resonance with observational truth. His focus on private moments aligned with a wider interest in domestic intimacy among artists of the era.

Corinth’s drypoints from this period are now recognized for their raw immediacy and technical innovation. *In der hängematte II* exemplifies how he transformed printmaking into a medium of personal expression, moving beyond reproduction toward emotional authenticity. His influence on later generations of German artists lies in his willingness to confront the body’s impermanence with unadorned honesty, bridging late 19th-century realism and 20th-century modernism.