The Professor

Artist Albert Bloch (American, 1882 - 1961)

Date1909-1911

MediumDrypoint on paper

DimensionsPlate: 6 5/8 × 4 7/8 inches (16.83 × 12.38 cm)
Sheet: 14 3/4 × 9 3/4 inches (37.47 × 24.77 cm)

Credit LineGift of Scott Heffley

Object number2017.78.4

SignedMonogram "AB" printed in upper right quadrant of image; "Albert Bloch" in graphite under lower right quadrant of image; "Heinr. Welleroth, Munchen, gdr" printer's signature in graphite, bottom left plate edge

On View

Not on view

Collections

American Art

Terms

DescriptionUsing fine black lines, this vertically oriented drypoint print depicts an elderly man whose head and body from mid-torso up occupy the top two-thirds of the composition. The man wears a hat with a rounded crown and a small brim that casts a shadow over his eye as he gazes out towards the right. The man’s hair is long and falls to his shoulders. He has a beard and mustache and loosely holds a cigar between his lips. The cigar angles down towards the proper left lapel of the man’s jacket, which is worn over a vest and light-colored shirt. As smoke rises from his cigar, the man rests his proper left arm on the table directly in front of him, the surface of which extends to the lower edge of the composition. This arm is bent at the elbow and very summarily rendered. The hand is merely a blur of lines. Near the lower left edge of the image, within reach of the man, is an object that appears to be a coffee/tea cup atop a saucer. The monogram “AB” appears just to the right of the trail of cigar smoke near the upper edge towards the right side of the composition.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

None

Gallery Label

This drypoint reveals Albert Bloch's style from a time before he joined the avant-garde German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). It provides evidence of his talents as a draftsman and experience as a caricaturist and cartoonist for a St. Louis-based periodical. The content underscores Bloch's power to translate the nuances of daily life and make social commentary through an economy of means.

Provenance

The artist (1881–1961), Lawrence, KS, 1911–March 23,1961;

Inherited by his wife, Anna Bloch (1913–2014), Lawrence, KS, March 23, 1961–June 11, 2001;

Her gift to Scott Heffley, Kansas City, MO, June 11, 2001–December 31, 2017;

His gift to The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, December 31, 2017.

Published References

None

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