Der Malschirm
Heinrich Kühn Austrian, born Germany
Not on view
A leader of the Pictorialist movement in Europe, Kühn began corresponding with Stieglitz in 1899 and became his closest ally abroad. In 1905, following Stieglitz's lead, Kühn abandoned his painterly landscapes for more intimate motifs printed on a smaller scale, such as this charming figure study. Like the artist on the beach below, Kühn was drawn to the boys playing on the shore but was equally intrigued by the way the scene was rendered by his high vantage point, the strong sunlight, and the insistent geometric shape of the umbrella.