Bear and Elf from "Intermezzi"

Bear And Elf from "Intermezzi" is a print realized by Max Klinger in 1881.

Signature and number of the print on plate.

Black and white etching and aquatint. Original title: Bär und Elfe.

The artwork is from the portfolio Intermezzi, Opus IV, published by Theo Stroefer's Kunstverlag, Munich, in 1881.

The portfolio is composed of 12 plates, unrelated to any conceptual link, whose title is a clear reference to music production. The suite was designed by the engraver and art dealer Herman Sagert. The two initial and final plates are the intermezzos, whilst the other eight depict mythological and literary themes. The plates from 3 to 6 represent centaurs, while from 7 to 10 they illustrate "Simplicius Simplicissimus", a picaresque novel of the lower Baroque style, written in 1668 by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, and inspired by the events of the Thirty Years' War.

Plate number 1, Bear And Elf, represents a woman balancing on a bamboo branch, drawing the attention of a bear beneath her. The bear, despite its strength, seems unable to stay stable. The scene is set in a seascapewith detailed and thriving vegetation.