Richard Graef - 1913 Simplicissimus Cartoon Illustration

This is the first Graef original that I purchased. Before buying the piece, I had never heard of the artist, but the drawing really grabbed me. The slow procession of large men walking through the picture plane is wonderful. I'm a fan of George Grosz's work, and this piece evokes something of Grosz.

*************************

ADDENDUM (3/29/20): I have finally discovered where this drawing saw print! It ran in the May 1913 issue of Simplicissimus, the German satire magazine. I will post the printed image as an additional image.

The text in German reads: "Warum soll i mi net verbrenna lass´n? Als Bäckermoaster bin i ja die Backofenhitz eh´scho g´wohnt!

In English, it translates to: "Why shouldn't I get myself cremated? Being a baker by trade, I'm used to this furnace heat anyway."

The text in the printed image is quite stylized and is apparently written with a Bavarian dialect. My sincere thanks to Ulrich and Thorsten for their help with the reading and translation of the text.