Lear with Cordelia’s Body (From King Lear)
Modern and Contemporary Art
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Lear with Cordelia’s Body (From King Lear)
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Oskar Kokoschka
Austrian, 1886–1980
Austrian, 1886–1980
Date
1963
Medium
Lithograph on paper
Accession #
1979.61 P
Dimensions
Location
Currently Not on View
Description
Lear with the body of Cordelia
Act V, Scene III: “And thou no breath at all? Thou’ll come no more”
Kokoschka composed this final scene as a Pietà—a traditional pictorial type showing Mary, the mother of God, lamenting over the body of her son, Jesus, lying lifeless in her lap. This reference likens the Shakespearean tragedy to a religious parable, perhaps about the sinfulness of ignoring the natural bond and mutual responsibilities between parents and children.
Credit
Gift of Dr. Sherman N. Leis through the Ackerman FoundationImage Copyright
© Fondation Oskar Kokoschka/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ProLitteris, Zurich
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