Classical Modernism Meidner, Ludwig Untitled (Prophet). c. 1920. Oil pastel on vellum. 77 x 57 cm. On the reverse, an estate stamp with the inventory number ‘II/321’ entered by hand. The upper corners have minor losses; the lower edge has a small tear of approx. 2 cm. The reverse shows studio marks and traces of previous mounting. Overall in good condition. Provenance: Sotheby’s Berlin, 30 May 1991, Lot 91. – An oil pastel drawing by Ludwig Meidner depicting a prophetic figure in flowing robes, holding a bundle in his arm. The motif oscillates between an Old Testament sacrificial scene and a lament, and is reminiscent of biblical themes such as Abraham and Isaac. The work was created during Meidner’s transitional phase around 1920, when, shaken by the First World War and in search of religious guidance, he transformed the expressive intensity of his early work into an increasingly spiritually charged visual language. Oil pastel on vellum. Stamped on the reverse by the estate. Minor losses in the upper corners, a small tear of approx. 2 cm along the lower edge. Traces of the artist’s studio and remnants of previous mounting on the reverse. Overall in good condition. - An oil pastel drawing by Ludwig Meidner depicting a prophetic figure in flowing robes, holding a bundle in his arms. The motif oscillates between an Old Testament sacrificial scene and a lamentation, and is reminiscent of pictorial themes such as Abraham and Isaac. The work was created during Meidner’s transitional phase around 1920, when, shaken by the First World War and in search of religious guidance, he transformed the expressive intensity of his early work into an increasingly spiritually charged visual language.