Auch ein Todtentanz IV
1849
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
Artist
Alfred Rethel
Alfred Rethel (1816–1859) was a German artist, born in Aachen.
See the richer artist page1849
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Auch ein Todtentanz IV is a 1849 ink by Alfred Rethel, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This woodcut shows a chaotic crowd in front of a building with arched windows. A man in the center raises his arms, pointing upward while others scramble around him—some holding weapons, others kneeling or reaching out. The scene feels tense, with jagged lines and dark shading creating a sense of movement and drama. The artist used fine, crisscrossed lines to build up shadows and texture, a method called cross-hatching. This technique makes the image feel urgent and crowded, like a moment frozen in time. Try looking up cross-hatching to see how artists create depth with just lines.
Alfred Rethel (1816–1859) was a German artist, born in Aachen.
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