Max Weber American, 1881-1961
Red Cross Nurse, 1919
Oil on canvas
30¼ x 22 inches
76.8 x 55.9 cm
76.8 x 55.9 cm
Signed at lower right: Max Weber
Schoelkopf Gallery is the exclusive worldwide representative of the Max Weber Foundation. Red Cross Nurse (1919) exemplifies a rare World War I subject painted by Max Weber. While much...
Schoelkopf Gallery is the exclusive worldwide representative of the Max Weber Foundation.
Red Cross Nurse (1919) exemplifies a rare World War I subject painted by Max Weber. While much of his work from the previous decade was Cubist in style, this figurative painting depicts the arrival of a wounded soldier at a Red Cross hospital, with the prominent white Red Cross flags dominating the upper left quadrant of the composition. Two soldiers, identifiable by their calf-length trench coats and rounded "Brodie" steel helmets, have their backs turned to the viewer as they carry a stretcher bearing a wounded comrade. As they ascend the entry stairs, a nurse welcomes them with open arms. Red Cross nurses played a crucial role in World War I, providing medical care and humanitarian aid under challenging conditions. They served in military hospitals and field stations across Europe and the United States, often facing danger and harsh circumstances. Modernist in his commitment to painting quotidian life, Weber did not shy away from this poignant moment, highlighting both the soldiers' sacrifice and the nurses' dedication amidst the chaos of war. Weber's shift in style from the avant-garde styles of Cubism to this more traditional painting style is indicative of the wider "return to order" that proliferated European artist circles in reaction to the senselessness and human toll of World War I.
Red Cross Nurse (1919) exemplifies a rare World War I subject painted by Max Weber. While much of his work from the previous decade was Cubist in style, this figurative painting depicts the arrival of a wounded soldier at a Red Cross hospital, with the prominent white Red Cross flags dominating the upper left quadrant of the composition. Two soldiers, identifiable by their calf-length trench coats and rounded "Brodie" steel helmets, have their backs turned to the viewer as they carry a stretcher bearing a wounded comrade. As they ascend the entry stairs, a nurse welcomes them with open arms. Red Cross nurses played a crucial role in World War I, providing medical care and humanitarian aid under challenging conditions. They served in military hospitals and field stations across Europe and the United States, often facing danger and harsh circumstances. Modernist in his commitment to painting quotidian life, Weber did not shy away from this poignant moment, highlighting both the soldiers' sacrifice and the nurses' dedication amidst the chaos of war. Weber's shift in style from the avant-garde styles of Cubism to this more traditional painting style is indicative of the wider "return to order" that proliferated European artist circles in reaction to the senselessness and human toll of World War I.
Provenance
The artist; toEstate of the artist, 1961; to
Max Weber Foundation, 2021 until the present
Exhibitions
Forum Gallery, New York, Max Weber, October 25–November 14, 1975, no. 16, illus., listed with incorrect dimensions in plate captionThe Jewish Museum, New York; The Norton Gallery and School of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida; The McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, Max Weber: American Modern, October 5, 1982–November 5, 1983, no. 51
Forum Gallery, New York, Max Weber: Max Weber's Women, February 6—March 9, 1996
Literature
Percy North, Max Weber: American Modern, New York: The Jewish Museum, 1983, p. 77, no. 51, illus. p. 21Percy North, Max Weber: Max Weber's Women, New York: Forum Gallery, 1996, illus. in color
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