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Friedrich August SeitzHalf-length portrait of an elderly bearded man - Melancholy of a prophet -1926
1926
About the Item
Friedrich August Seitz (1902 Staffort - 1944 Belgrade). Half-length portrait of an elderly man with a beard. Oil on canvas, 42 x 34 cm (visible seize), 58 x 50 cm (frame), signed and dated lower left "Aug. Seitz. 1926". In an Art Nouveau frame with gilt stucco and black lacquered moulding.
- Melancholy of a prophet -
About the artwork
The head shown is not the portrait of a real person, but aims at a much more general dimension of meaning that transcends the individual person. Such expressive heads were called 'tronies' in the Netherlands from the 16th century onwards and flourished in the 17th century. But they go back much further, to the sculptural rows of apostles and prophets in Gothic cathedrals. And it is precisely to these that Friedrich August Seitz refers. The head, which is shown in a slight top view and appears almost gaunt, looks like a prophet's head with its flowing white beard. This is reinforced by the deeply shadowed eye area, which refers to the topos of the 'blind seer'.
The head is given a particular liveliness by the light colours and the loose application of paint, which at first glance seem to counteract the darkness of the prophecy, and by which the picture follows in the footsteps of the art of Frans Hals and Max Liebermann. The head seems to materialise directly from the paint, which has been applied with the greatest virtuosity, while the brushwork around the head and the apparently untreated ground enliven the figuratively undefined surface. The concretion of the head, however, culminates in the shadowed eye area, which repeatedly draws the eye to itself and thus to the invisible. In this way, Friedrich August Seitz manages to revive the ancient theme of the prophets in a highly expressive way, using the same painterly means as Frans Hals and Max Liebermann used for their predominantly profane subjects.
About the artist
Friedrich August Seitz studied at the Karlsruhe Art Academy under Prof. August Babberger from 1923 to 1927. After his studies he worked as a fashion draughtsman for Schöpflin in Hagen and then as a technical draughtsman for the Badische Landesvermessung in Karlsruhe. He was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1939 and died on a train to Belgrade in 1944.
GERMAN VERSION
Friedrich August Seitz (1902 Staffort - 1944 Belgrad). Brustbild eines älteren bärtigen Mannes. Öl auf Leinwand, 42 x 34 cm (Innemaß), 58 x 50 cm (Rahmen), links unten signiert und datiert „Aug. Seitz. 1926“. Im Jugendstil-Rahmen mit Goldstuck und schwarz gelackter Leiste.
- Die Melancholie eines Propheten -
zum Werk
Der dargestellte Kopf ist nicht das Porträt einer realen Person, sondern zielt auf eine die individuelle Person übersteigende, weit allgemeinere Bedeutungsdimension. Solche Ausdrucksköpfe wurden seit dem 16. Jahrhundert in den Niederlanden als „Tronies“ bezeichnet und erlebten insbesondere im 17. Jahrhundert eine Blütezeit. Sie reichen jedoch viel weiter bis zu den skulpturalen Apostel- und Prophetenreihen der gotischen Kathedralen zurück. Und eben diesen Bezug stellt Friedrich August Seitz her. Der in leichter Aufsicht gezeigte, beinahe hager wirkende Kopf mutet mit seinem wallenden weißen Bart wie ein Prophetenkopf an. Dies wird noch zusätzlich durch die tief verschattete Augenpartie verstärkt, die sich auf den Topos des ‚blinden Sehers‘ bezieht.
Eine besondere Lebendigkeit gewinnt der Kopf vermittels der die Dunkelheit der Prophetie auf den ersten Blick geradewegs konterkarierenden hellen Farbigkeit und dem lockeren Farbauftrag, durch welche das Bild in die Nachfolge der Kunst eines Frans Hals und Max Liebermann tritt. Durch den mit größter Virtuosität erfolgten Farbauftrag scheint sich der Kopf geradewegs aus der Farbe heraus zu materialisieren, während um den Kopf herum der Pinselduktus und der unbehandelt anmutende Malgrund die gegenständlich nicht näher bestimmte Bildfläche beleben. Die Konkretion des Kopfes kulminiert aber nun gerade in der den Blick immer wieder auf sich ziehenden verschatteten Augenpartie und damit in dem, was nicht sichtbar ist. Auf diese Weise gelingt es Friedrich August Seitz durch malerische Mittel, wie sie bei Frans Hals und Max Liebermann in ihren vorwiegend profanen Sujets vor Augen stehen, das alte Thema der Prophetendarstellungen auf eine äußerst expressive Weise zu revitalisieren.
zum Künstler
Friedrich August Seitz besuchte unter Prof. August Babberger von 1923 bis 1927 die Kunstakademie Karlsruhe. Nach dem Studium war er zunächst als Modezeichner bei Schöpflin in Hagen tätig und dann als technischer Zeichner bei der Badischen Landesvermessung in Karlsruhe angestellt. 1939 zur Wehrmacht einberufen, verstarb er 1944 auf einer Zugfahrt nach Belgrad.
- Creator:Friedrich August Seitz (1902 - 1944, German)
- Creation Year:1926
- Dimensions:Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)Width: 13.39 in (34 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2438212325652
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