(Tragedy)

Albert Edward Sterner

In a sketched tableau that could be plucked from a Grecian tragedy, a group of five figures stands in a dark forest in various stances of grief or shock. In the foreground a sixth figure grasps a knife and throws its head back as if in agony. Judging by the use of litho crayon, this may have been a preparatory drawing for a future print.

The date estimation for this piece comes from the paper on which Sterner has executed the drawing: the verso of an advertisement for the Marmon Speedster, Model 34. The car was put on the market in 1922. Additionally, in the 1920's Sterner created several conceptual drawings and lithographs that dealt with dark folkloric themes, both in his personal output and as commissions for book illustrations. It's possible that he was working on one such commission with this piece.