Standing Girl in Water and the Other Sitting on Shore (Im Wasser stehendes und am Ufer sitzendes Madchen mit Hut)
1921/1922
Medium
lithograph
Dimensions
image: 38.58 × 28.58 cm (15 3/16 × 11 1/4 in.) sheet: 55.88 × 43.5 cm (22 × 17 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.17.337
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**Standing Girl in Water and Other Sitting on Shore ( Wasser stehendes und Ufer sitzendes mit Hut)** *Otto Mueller, 1921/1922, lith* Otto Mueller, a leading German Expressionist and member of the Die Brücke group, captures a serene, intimate moment in this evocative lithograph. The composition features two young women—one standing gracefully in shallow water, her hat adding a touch of whimsy, and the other seated thoughtfully on the shore—set against a natural landscape. Created in the early 1920s, amid Germany's post-World War I cultural ferment, Mueller's work reflects his fascination with the human form in harmony with nature, often drawing from idealized, almost mythical figures inspired by his travels and encounters with nomadic communities. As a master printmaker, Mueller excelled in lithography, a technique that allowed him to achieve fluid, expressive lines and subtle tonal variations directly from a prepared stone. The image measures 38.58 × 28.58 cm, with a larger sheet of 55.88 × 43.5 cm, emphasizing the artwork's intimate scale ideal for personal contemplation. This print exemplifies his streamlined forms and earthy palette, hallmarks of Expressionism's shift toward emotional depth over realism. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection, this piece highlights Mueller's enduring influence in modern printmaking. It invites visitors to ponder the quiet beauty of everyday reverie, bridging early 20th-century avant-garde innovation with timeless human connection. (198 words)
About the Artist
Otto Mueller · 1874–1930
Otto Mueller (1874–1930) was a German Expressionist painter whose distinctive vision of the human figure in landscape made him one of the most poetic and individual voices within the Die Brücke movement. Born in Liebau in Silesia, he trained at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and subsequently worked briefly in Munich before his pivotal association with the artists of Die Brücke — Ernst Ludwig Kir...