Kummernis (Sorrow)

Kummernis (Sorrow) by Egon Schiele, created in 1922, is a potent example of the artist’s output in the challenging medium of drypoint. Executed just two years before the artist’s death, the work is part of a portfolio and exemplifies the intense psychological depth that defines Schiele’s brief but influential career. Drypoint, a demanding printmaking technique, requires the artist to directly incise lines into a metal plate, resulting in the characteristic burr and linear sharpness utilized by Schiele to evoke emotional tension.

Dating to the pivotal period of 1901 to 1925, this piece firmly belongs to the development of early Modernism, specifically within the context of Austrian Expressionism. While many of Schiele’s best-known works are marked by raw sexual frankness, Kummernis (Sorrow) focuses entirely on internal anguish and isolation. The subject is rendered with the artist’s signature fragmented, nervous line, communicating a profound sense of grief and existential anxiety that resonated deeply with the cultural mood of post-World War I Europe. Schiele masterfully employs the inherent high-contrast properties of prints to amplify the starkness of the subject’s plight, creating an image of haunting emotional resonance.

This significant drypoint print is held in the comprehensive collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it serves as a crucial point of reference for studying the history of graphic arts and the development of 20th-century Austrian culture. The enduring power of Schiele’s vision ensures that this work remains essential to the study of modern artistic representation of interior states. Today, fine prints and high-quality reproductions of important public domain works like this allow broader access and scholarly examination of the master’s technique and emotional complexity.