This watercolour is one of five sheets created in Weimar in September 1920. They depict ghostly figures, either alone or in groups, wreaking havoc in an urban setting. The 'Lantern Ghost' is a female figure captured in bright red watercolour, with long, curved limbs and claw-like hands and feet. The face consists of two blue circles that serve as eyes and a downturned mouth. The figure's face is turned towards the viewer, its expression aggressive and threatening. The figure has no hair or clothes. To her left is a slightly forward-leaning high-rise building with a red roof, and to her right is a lantern that illuminates the picture space in yellow.
Unlike Grossberg's other paintings, which offer a factual, almost photographic view of his surroundings, these five watercolours appear to belong to the realm of fantasy. The peculiar, always naked figures, which are often female, oscillate between the haunting and the comedic. As if they had emerged from a dream or the subconscious, they wander through the night. Their eerie atmosphere seems to echo the 'Traumbilder' (Dream Pictures) created from 1925 onwards.
- Location & Dating
- 1920
- Material & Technique
- Aquarell und Tusche auf Papier
- Dimensions
- 40 x 36 cm
- Museum
- Privatbesitz
- Inventory number
- X26.025