David rears an altar on the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite - Lovis Corinth

A powerful 1923 lithograph by Lovis Corinth depicting the biblical encounter between King David and an angel, rendered with expressive, textured mark-making.

This lithograph by Lovis Corinth, dated 1923, depicts the biblical narrative from the Second Book of Samuel. The scene captures the moment King David receives instruction to construct an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite to halt a plague. Corinth, a figure associated with the transition from late nineteenth-century naturalism to the emotive intensity of German Expressionism, employs a gestural and tactile approach to the medium.

The composition is defined by a sense of urgency and spiritual weight. Corinth uses dense, granular marks to build the figures, allowing the forms to emerge from the paper with a rough, sketch-like quality. The central figure of the angel is rendered with sweeping, ethereal strokes, contrasting with the more grounded, heavy presence of David. The interplay of light and shadow is achieved through the layering of lithographic crayon, creating a textured surface that prioritises emotional resonance over precise anatomical detail.

Corinth produced this work during his later years, a period marked by a shift towards more subjective and visionary themes. The artist avoids rigid lines, opting instead for a fluid, almost frantic application of tone that mirrors the dramatic nature of the event. The figures appear caught in a moment of divine encounter, their features obscured by the atmospheric density of the print. This work demonstrates the artist's ability to manipulate the lithographic stone to produce a painterly effect, where the physical act of drawing remains visible. It is a study in movement and spiritual tension, characteristic of the artist's late graphic output.