Vampire
Artist
Gerhard Marcks
(German, 1889 - 1981)
Date1948
MediumWoodcut
DimensionsImage: 8 5/8 × 9 inches (21.91 × 22.86 cm)
Credit LineGift of Jane Wade in memory of Curt Valentin
Object number58-33/5
On View
Not on viewCollections
Gallery LabelWith its black wings extended and its distinctive ears, mouse-sized body and short tail exposed, the bat in Marcks’ woodcut hovers against a stark, striated backdrop. Its threatening yet strangely vulnerable pose recalls scenes from black-and-white horror films like Nosferatu (1922, Germany) and Dracula (1931, U.S.A.), both of which were based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula.
In Eastern European folklore and mythology, vampires are the revived dead who thrive on the blood of the living. Vampire bats are native to the Americas (Mexico to Argentina). Small, with amber-colored fur, they feed at night on the blood of large animals. They are named for the legends, not vice versa.
Copyright© Gerhard-Marcks-Stiftung, Bremen, Germany
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