The Bathers by Max Weber
This is a lithograph by noted American artist Max Weber. It is titled "The Bathers" and depicts a number of nude women in various activities related to bathing. It reflects an expressionist approach that projects motion and energy. It is quite typical of the figurative work Weber did in the 1920s and 30s. His use of a dark, thick ink gives it the look of a painting complete with brushstrokes. This provides an improvisational sense, which contrasts with the somewhat geometric composition. While Weber is best known for his paintings, he was an accomplished printmaker who created numerous lithographs and woodcuts.
The lithograph is pencil signed and titled lower left and signed in the block lower right. The piece has lived a hard life. It was printed on relatively thin paper and there are some areas of paper loss and tears that do involve the image. Please examine all the pictures to see the issues. The piece is priced to reflect the damage. Weber is a significant artist, so conservation by a paper conservator would be a worthwhile investment.
Max Weber 1881-1961 Max Weber was born in the Polish section of the Russian empire by emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1891. He was raised in Brooklyn and early on was noted to have significant artistic talent. His most influential teacher was Arthur Wesley Dow, best known as a printmaker who used the techniques of Ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock printmaking. He was non-traditional in his teaching and exposed Weber to modern European artistic movements in addition to oriental art. He taught for a while and with the money earned was able to move to Europe where he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. He was thoroughly embedded in the pre-WWI Parisian avant garde including the Gertrude Stein salon. In addition to his formal studies, he studied privately with Matisse and became good friends with George Rousseau and Picasso. Upon returning to the United States, he became an ardent proponent of Cubism and, despite severe criticism of his paintings in 1911 at the 291 Gallery of Albert Stieglitz, he is now recognized as one of the most significant of the American cubists. While he had strong supporters of his work (including Newark Museum director John Cotton Dana, who organized a solo exhibit for Weber in 1913), he was not commercially successful for many years. After WWI his style changed, and he embraced more expressionism and representational approaches. Figural work was always an important part of his artistic output. Critical opinion of his career is mixed, but he is certainly recognized as one of the earliest proponents of modernism in the United States.
Price: $750
Size: 12.5 x 16.75
Plate Size: 12 x 16.5
Condition: Fair with Damage
Medium: Lithograph
Subject: Nudes
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