The riddle of the Sphinx (1900)

Dated 1900, "The riddle of the Sphinx" is an artwork by Udo Keppler. Historical background, 1900: Posters, magazines, and illustrated books were major ways for the public to meet new art and design. The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other. The catalogue places it in Illustration. The format is portrait. Illustration, a short history: Printing methods such as woodcut, engraving, lithography, and photomechanical reproduction each shaped how illustrators worked. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are often described as a golden age of book and magazine illustration.

"The riddle of the Sphinx" is shown in the onlly.art catalogue for reference and browsing. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Browsing works by the same artist, or from the same period, is a good way to compare styles before choosing what suits your space.

American, 1872–1956

If you like the visual language of Udo Keppler, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.