Alfred Fuchs
Lying Boy / - Fragile childlikeness -
1996

About the Item

Alfred Fuchs (1925 Saarbrücken - 2003 Prague), Lying Boy. Charcoal drawing on strong paper, 30 x 41.5 cm, signed A.[lfred] Fuchs and dated [19]96. - small pinholes at corners, a little bit creased at margins, otherwise good condition - Fragile childlikeness - About the artwork With this drawing, Alfred Fuchs continues his depictions of children, revisiting and reworking a motif from his 1983 print cycle Children's Lives. The drawing depicts a young boy. Although he is dressed, wearing trousers with crossed braces and presumably shoes, the boy is crouched in a fetal position with his back to us. He wants to withdraw from everything and be all by himself. It remains unclear whether he has fallen asleep or remained awake in this position. The hands, which seem to be raised, suggest a defensive posture, as if the boy wants to stop what is destroying his childhood. The posture is one of defense and protection, which makes it all the more vulnerable and brings out the childlike in a particularly vivid way. The boy has withdrawn from us. His individuality remains hidden by his protective turning away. In this way, the boy becomes a child as such, standing in for the childishness that Alfred Fuchs himself was robbed of all too early. Alfred Fuchs creates the intimate and at the same time allegorical image of the child with virtuoso charcoal strokes. The entire body seems to have emerged from one continuous, curving line. It is as if the artist, in the act of drawing, has embraced the child itself, which is represented by his drawing. Despite the broad strokes, the drawing expresses a tenderness that illustrates the child's sensitivity. About the artist As Alfred Fuchs' father was Jewish, the family emigrated from Saarbrücken to Prague in October 1935 to escape the increasing persecution by the Nazi regime. From 1939 to 1943, Alfred Fuchs trained there as a typeface painter. In Prague, however, the family was not immune to the Nazi regime. At the height of the persecution, Alfred Fuchs was interned in the Bystrice concentration camp near Benesov in 1944. After World War II, he completed a five-year course of study with Professor Vlastimil Rada at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In his art, he initially dealt with war and persecution. In 1962-1973, together with Vendelín Zrubecký, he created a mural in Auschwitz. Later, the depiction of children and mothers became a central moment in Alfred Fuchs' oeuvre, which also has a biographical dimension. "A search for traces of memories of a happy, carefree childhood. A childhood that once began in Saarbrücken and was abruptly ended by the Second World War and the persecution of the Jews. - Beate Reifenscheid Alfred Fuchs participated in numerous international exhibitions. His works have been shown in the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Norway, Monaco, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan. He also received several awards and became an honorary member of the European Academy Otzenhausen in 1998. He was not only a painter, but also an extremely virtuoso graphic artist. The Czech postage stamps produced according to his designs mark the peak of his popularity. Selected Bibliography Saur. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Band 46, München - Leipzig 2005, S. 33. Arno Krause u. Roswitha Jungfleisch (Hrsg.): Unter der Kerze ist Schatten. Das Leben des Malers Alfred Fuchs, Blieskastel 2005. GERMAN Alfred Fuchs (1925 Saarbrücken - 2003 Prague), Lying Boy. Charcoal drawing on strong paper, 30 x 41.5 cm, signed A.[lfred] Fuchs and dated [19]96. - small pinholes at corners, a little bit creased at margins, otherwise good condition Exposé as PDF - Fragile childlikeness - About the artwork With this drawing, Alfred Fuchs continues his depictions of children, revisiting and reworking a motif from his 1983 print cycle Children's Lives. The drawing depicts a young boy. Although he is dressed, wearing trousers with crossed braces and presumably shoes, the boy is crouched in a fetal position with his back to us. He wants to withdraw from everything and be all by himself. It remains unclear whether he has fallen asleep or remained awake in this position. The hands, which seem to be raised, suggest a defensive posture, as if the boy wants to stop what is destroying his childhood. The posture is one of defense and protection, which makes it all the more vulnerable and brings out the childlike in a particularly vivid way. The boy has withdrawn from us. His individuality remains hidden by his protective turning away. In this way, the boy becomes a child as such, standing in for the childishness that Alfred Fuchs himself was robbed of all too early. Alfred Fuchs creates the intimate and at the same time allegorical image of the child with virtuoso charcoal strokes. The entire body seems to have emerged from one continuous, curving line. It is as if the artist, in the act of drawing, has embraced the child itself, which is represented by his drawing. Despite the broad strokes, the drawing expresses a tenderness that illustrates the child's sensitivity. About the artist As Alfred Fuchs' father was Jewish, the family emigrated from Saarbrücken to Prague in October 1935 to escape the increasing persecution by the Nazi regime. From 1939 to 1943, Alfred Fuchs trained there as a typeface painter. In Prague, however, the family was not immune to the Nazi regime. At the height of the persecution, Alfred Fuchs was interned in the Bystrice concentration camp near Benesov in 1944. After World War II, he completed a five-year course of study with Professor Vlastimil Rada at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In his art, he initially dealt with war and persecution. In 1962-1973, together with Vendelín Zrubecký, he created a mural in Auschwitz. Later, the depiction of children and mothers became a central moment in Alfred Fuchs' oeuvre, which also has a biographical dimension. "A search for traces of memories of a happy, carefree childhood. A childhood that once began in Saarbrücken and was abruptly ended by the Second World War and the persecution of the Jews. - Beate Reifenscheid Alfred Fuchs participated in numerous international exhibitions. His works have been shown in the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Norway, Monaco, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan. He also received several awards and became an honorary member of the European Academy Otzenhausen in 1998. He was not only a painter, but also an extremely virtuoso graphic artist. The Czech postage stamps produced according to his designs mark the peak of his popularity. Selected Bibliography Saur. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Band 46, München - Leipzig 2005, S. 33. Arno Krause u. Roswitha Jungfleisch (Hrsg.): Unter der Kerze ist Schatten. Das Leben des Malers Alfred Fuchs, Blieskastel 2005. GERMAN VERSION Alfred Fuchs (1925 Saarbrücken - 2003 Prag), Hingekauerter Junge. Kohlezeichnung auf starkem Papier, 30 x 41,5 cm, rechts unten mit A.[lfred] Fuchs handsigniert und auf [19]96 handdatiert. - an den Ecken kleine Nadellöcher, in den Randbereichen leichte Knickspuren, sonst in gutem Zustand Exposé als PDF - Fragile Kindlichkeit - zum Kunstwerk Mit der großformatigeren Kohlezeichnung schließt Alfred Fuchs an seine Kinderdarstellungen an und nimmt ein Motiv seines 1983 angefertigten druckgraphischen Zyklus Kinderleben wieder auf und überarbeitet es erneut. Die Zeichnung veranschaulicht einen kleinen Jungen. Obwohl er bekleidet ist, er trägt eine Hose mit überkreuzten Hosenträgern und wohl auch Schuhe, hat sich der Junge in Embryostellung hingekauert und wendet uns dabei den Rücken zu. Er möchte sich allem entziehen und ganz für sich sein. Es bleibt offen, ob er in dieser Haltung eingeschlafen oder wachgeblieben ist. Die wie erhoben wirkenden Hände suggerieren eine Abwehrhaltung, als ob der Junge abhalten wolle, was seine Kindheit zunichtemacht. Die eingenommene Haltung ist eine Abwehr- und Schutzhaltung, die gerade darum umso verletzlicher wirkt und das Kindliche besonders eindringlich zur Darstellung bringt. Der Junge hat sich uns entzogen. Durch seine schutzsuchende Abwendung bleibt seine Individualität verborgen. Damit wird der Junge zum Kind als solchem, das für die stets gefährdete Kindlichkeit einsteht, die Alfred Fuchs selbst nur allzu früh geraubt worden ist. Das intime und zugleich allegorische Kinderbild schafft Alfred Fuchs mit virtuos gesetzten Kohlestrichen. Der ganze Körper scheint aus einer durchgehenden, in sich geschwungenen Strichführung hervorgegangen zu sein. Es ist, als habe der Künstler im Zeichenakt das Kind selbst umfasst, das durch seine Zeichnung überhaupt erst zur Darstellung gekommen ist. Trotz der breiten Strichlage drückt der Zeichenduktus eine Zärtlichkeit aus, die zugleich die kindliche Sensibilität veranschaulicht. zum Künstler Da Alfred Fuchs' Vater Jude was, emigrierte die Familie im Oktober 1935 von Saarbrücken nach Prag, um der zunehmenden Verfolgung durch das Naziregime zu entgehen. Von 1939 bis 1943 ließ sich Alfred Fuchs dort zum Schriftenmaler ausbilden. In Prag war die Familie allerdings nicht dem Zugriff der Nazi entzogen. Als Höhepunkt der Verfolgung wurde Alfred Fuchs 1944 in das Konzentrationslager Bystrice bei Benesov interniert. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg absolvierte er ein fünfjähriges Studium bei Professor Vlastimil Rada an der Akademie der bildenden Künste in Prag. Künstlerisch setzte er sich zunächst mit dem Krieg und der Verfolgung auseinander. Von 1962-1973 realisierte er zusammen mit Vendelín Zrubecký in Auschwitz ein Wandgemälde. Später wurde die Darstellung von Kindern und Müttern ein zentrales Moment in Alfred Fuchs' Oeuvre, das ebenfalls eine biographische Dimension hat. „[Eine] Spurensuche nach den Erinnerungen an eine glückliche, unbekümmerte Kindheit. Eine Kindheit, die in Saarbrücken einmal begann und die der Zweite Weltkrieg und die Judenverfolgung jäh beendet haben.“ - Beate Reifenscheid Alfred Fuchs war an zahlreichen internationalen Ausstellungen beteiligt. Seine Werke wurden unter anderem in Tschechien, Polen, Russland, Ungarn, Deutschland, Norwegen, Monaco, Australien, Neuseeland, Kanada und Japan gezeigt. Zudem erhielt er mehrere Preise und wurde 1998 Ehrenmitglied der Europäischen Akademie Otzenhausen. Er war nicht allein Maler, sondern betätigte sich auch äußerst virtuos als Druckgrafiker. Den Höhepunkt seiner Popularität markieren die nach seinen Entwürfen hergestellten tschechischen Briefmarken. Auswahlbibliographie Saur. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Band 46, München - Leipzig 2005, S. 33. Arno Krause u. Roswitha Jungfleisch (Hrsg.): Unter der Kerze ist Schatten. Das Leben des Malers Alfred Fuchs, Blieskastel 2005.

Creator:

Alfred Fuchs (1925 - 2003, German, Czech)

Creation Year:

1996

Dimensions:

Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Width: 16.34 in (41.5 cm)

Medium:

Charcoal

Movement & Style:

Realist

Period:

1990-1999