Alfred Kubin

Executed in 1904, this is a beautiful example of Kubin’s series of works based on childhood stories and fairy-tales. Artistically, this period was marked by a transition in Kubin’s style, when he started introducing colour in his previously monochrome drawings. The sensitively and detailed depiction of the prince leaning on a panther shows the artist’s skill as a draughtsman as well as it reflects Kubin’s rich and infinite creativity and fantasy. With the lavish oriental dress of the prince and the exotic animal, the image is probably derived from the myths and fables of the artist’s childhood.

In the present work, the artist used the Spritztechnik, covering the sheet with black ink and wash, while at the same time introducing subtle hints of colour that led the way to the colourful watercolour and pastel drawings and book illustrations that he was to create in the following decades.