Homage to Rimbaud 1919

Alfred Kubin created this ink drawing, "Homage to Rimbaud," seemingly as an illustration for a book. It depicts a smaller, emaciated figure climbing onto the shoulder of a larger, stoic figure with vaguely Egyptian features. Kubin, working in Austria in the early 20th century, tapped into a vein of expressionism that thrived on anxieties about modern life. This piece, created in the shadow of World War I, likely reflects that unease. The tribute to Rimbaud, the original enfant terrible of French poetry, points to the way the institutionalization of art movements can sometimes recuperate those who once stood outside the norm. The Egyptian reference is interesting. European culture has a long history of fascination with Egypt, but also colonial appropriation, and that power dynamic surely plays a role here. To understand this work more deeply, we might research the rise of expressionism in Austria, Kubin's personal relationship to Rimbaud's work, and the cultural fascination with Egypt that permeated Europe at the time. All these factors combine to give the image its particular meaning and historical weight.