Don Quixote Beheld the Sea

Series Title: Don Quixote

1923

Hans Alexander Mueller

(American, 1888–1962)

Culture

America

Medium

woodcut

Measurements

Platemark: 39.5 x 30 cm (15 9/16 x 11 13/16 in.); Sheet: 43.2 x 13.6 cm (17 x 5 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1950.419

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

Not on view

Description

Don Quixote de la Mancha, a novel written by Miguel de Cervantes in the 1600s, tells the story of a man so fascinated with tales of valor that he decides to become a knight and search for adventures. It is a classic of world literature that has inspired numerous illustrators. Hans Alexander Müller showed Quixote as a simultaneously heroic and tragic figure in this image. Jagged edges and thick lines impart a dramatic quality, accentuated by the sunrays that shine on the knight like a spotlight. The dark silhouette emphasizes his isolation and yearning for a bygone era.