The Left Thief (Der linke Schächer), preparatory drawing for "Golgotha" illustration in 20 Pictures of the Bible (20 Bilder zur Bibel), 1924 / Alfred Kubin
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2007/2.100
- Title
- The Left Thief (Der linke Schächer), preparatory drawing for "Golgotha" illustration in 20 Pictures of the Bible (20 Bilder zur Bibel), 1924
- Artist
- Alfred Kubin
- Artist Nationality
- Austrian
- Artist Life Dates
- 1877-1959
- Medium and Support
- pen and ink on laid paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1924
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Austria (nation)
- Oberösterreich (state)
- Zwickledt
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Austria (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Oberösterreich (state)
- Creation Place 4
- Zwickledt
- Style/Group/Movement
- German Expressionism / Der Blaue Reiter
- Inscription
- Partial watermark visible in paper.
- RECTO. Signed by artist in ink, lower right, outside drawn frame: Kubin
- Inscribed in pencil along bottom left edge: der linke Schaecher (In German: the left thief, or "Schächer")
- VERSO. Inscribed in pencil, bottom left corner: 19
- Inscribed in pencil, bottom left: K 171 / L62
- Dimensions
- 34.29 cm x 24.77 cm (13 1/2 in. x 9 3/4 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Drawing
- Primary Object Type
- prepatory drawing
- Physical Description
- A remake of the traditional Golgotha crucifixion scene. On the right is a horribly distended figure, hanging precariously from a cross that leans out toward the viewer. He represents the left thief, or, the bad thief. He looks out toward the viewer. At the bottom center is a hooded Mary figure, her face shielded from view. At the far left, another cross contains the regular, "sleeping" form of another crucified man, but without the distention of the first. On the ground between the two is the empty cross of Christ, marked by the INRI signed nailed into its top. Along the center of the image, in the background, a file of viewers move from right to left, one of whom carries a ladder. Clouds can be seen in the sky.
- Subject Matter
- A remake of the traditional crucifixion scene, showing a distended left thief (the bad thief) looking out at the viewer while Christ's cross is empty and the right-hand thief (the good thief) has died a serene death. Viewers in the background walk past.
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 2432 x 3307
- File Size
- 1 MB
- Record
- 2007/2.100
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2007-sl-2.100/2007_2_100.jpg
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- Full citation
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"The Left Thief (Der linke Schächer), preparatory drawing for "Golgotha" illustration in 20 Pictures of the Bible (20 Bilder zur Bibel), 1924; Alfred Kubin." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2007-sl-2.100/2007_2_100.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
