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Paul DierkesArchaic Head / - Shaped Originality -1952
1952
About the Item
Paul Dierkes (1907 Cloppenburg - 1968 Berlin), Archaic Head. Limestone, 1952. 15 x 9 x 12 cm (without plinth), 19 x 10 x 11 cm (with plinth), monogrammed "PD" on the reverse.
- Shaped Originality -
At first glance, the limestone sculpture is recognizable as a human head, although it does not have a fully formed face. The nose, eyes, and ears are only hinted at, and yet they are so present that we immediately recognize them as features of a head, and we identify the bulge above the nose as the forehead, and the area below as the chin and neck, and we think we see the mouth and eyebrows, although they are not even hinted at.
We are looking at a kind of prototype of the head, although the head itself does not have the shape of a human head as it exists in nature. Nor is it the geometric shape of a circle or an oval, which would have an original and at the same time timeless character. Rather, we see a form shaped by a creator that cannot be resolved geometrically, although - especially when viewed from the side - it has a geometric rigor similar to that of Oskar Schlemmer's heads. Unlike Schlemmer's figures, however, Dierke's work reveals itself as something created: Traces of the shaving iron and the blows of the chisel are visible everywhere. The head is a handcrafted work of art that looks like an archaic artifact. The impression of originality therefore applies to both the representation and the production: the face only indicated goes beyond any concretely formulated physiognomy, so that a "primal individuality" reminiscent of the figures on Easter Island can be seen here, which appears to have been created with primitive tools by an original creative will.
The impression of originality is reinforced by the ancient material of the stone, on which the traces of carving are also perceived as traces of weathering, making the head appear like a mysterious archaeological artifact that reveals ever new aspects depending on how it is turned and how the light falls. The wooden base, which also presents its own material and on which the head rests freely, fits in with this.
About the arist
As the son of a stonemason, Paul Dierkes was familiar with stone from an early age. After an apprenticeship as a stonemason, he decided to explore this material artistically and become a sculptor. He first studied at the Königsberg Art Academy under Stanislaus Cauer. In 1931 he transferred to the Munich Academy and received a scholarship to Rome. He then settled in Berlin. His first solo exhibitions followed, including at the Ferdinand Möller Gallery in Berlin and the Augusteum in Oldenburg. Dierkes undertook study trips to Amsterdam, Prague, and Paris.
To avoid being drafted by the Nazis, he left Berlin and settled in Groß-Glienicke after the war, but moved back to West Berlin after the division of Germany.
In 1947, he was appointed to the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and became a professor in 1948. For 20 years, until his death, he headed the Department of Stone and Wood. One of his students was Heinz Spilker.
Paul Dierkes is one of the protagonists who established modern sculpture in post-war Germany. He created archaic-looking forms that exude an aura of originality and, with their figurative allusions, also have a high symbolic value. The original effect gives his art a kinship with architecture, which led Dierkes to collaborate with Egon Eiermann, Peter Poelzig, and Sep Ruf. Many of his works characterize public spaces and demonstrate that Dierkes also understands sculpture as a monumental art that auratizes the respective location through a formed originality and thus develops a social relevance.
The aesthetic effect of sculptural originality often goes hand in hand with an emphasis on "being made," which underlines the craft aspect of the act of creation. For this reason, Paul Dierkes was also fond of woodcuts, which are related to the art of carving.
In 1954 Paul Dierkes was awarded the Art Prize of the City of Berlin.
Every idea creates something we suspected but did not know.
Paul Dierkes
The young Paul Dierkes already had the ability after his four-year apprenticeship as a stonemason to fathom the properties of each selected piece of wood and each stone and to figuratively transform individual natural processes of the grown organisms by means of his own working process.
Herbert Wolfgang Keiser
Bibliography
Herbert Wolfgang Keiser: Der Bildhauer Paul Dierkes, München, 1977.
GERMAN VERSION
Paul Dierkes (1907 Cloppenburg - 1968 Berlin), Archaischer Kopf. Kalkstein, 1952. 15 x 9 x 12 cm (ohne Sockel), 19 x 10 x 11 cm (mit Sockel), rückseitig mit „PD“ monogrammiert.
Exposé als PDF
- Geformte Ursprünglichkeit -
Die aus Kalkstein gehauene Skulptur ist auf den ersten Blick als menschlicher Kopf zu erkennen, obwohl er gar kein ausgeformtes Gesicht aufweist. Die Nase, die Augen und die Ohren sind einzig angedeutet und doch derart präsent, dass wir sie sofort als Merkmale eines Kopfes gewahren und die Wölbung über der Nase als Stirn und die Partie unter ihr als Kinn und Hals identifizieren und meinen, den Mund und die Augenbrauen zu sehen, obwohl diese nicht einmal angedeutet sind.
Wir betrachten eine Art Urform des Kopfes, wobei der Kopf selbst gar nicht die Form eines menschlichen Kopfes aufweist, wie er in natura beschaffen ist. Es handelt sich aber auch nicht um die geometrische Form eines Kreises oder Ovals, die einen ursprünglichen und zugleich zeitlosen Charakter aufweisen würde. Vielmehr sehen wir eine von einem Schöpfer geformte Form, die sich geometrisch nicht auflösen lässt, obwohl sie – insbesondere aus der Seitenansicht – eine geometrieähnliche Strenge aufweist, wodurch eine Ähnlichkeit mit den Köpfen Oskar Schlemmers gegeben ist. Im Gegensatz zu den Figuren Schlemmers gibt sich das Werk Dierkes aber als etwas Geschaffenes zu erkennen: Überall sind Spuren des Scharriereisens und Schläge der Meißel sichtbar. Der Kopf ist ein handwerklich gemachtes Kunstwerk, das wie ein archaisches Artefakt erscheint. Die Ursprünglichkeitswirkung betrifft folglich sowohl die Darstellung als auch die Herstellung: Das einzig angedeutete Gesicht reicht hinter jede konkret ausformulierte Physiognomie zurück, so dass hier eine an die Figuren der Osterinsel gemahnende ‚Ur-Individualität‘ vor Augen steht, die anmutet, als ob sie mit primitiven Werkzeugen von einem ursprünglichen Gestaltungswillen geschaffen worden wäre.
Der Eindruck der Ursprünglichkeit wird durch das uralte Material Stein verstärkt, auf dem die Bearbeitungsspuren zugleich als Spuren der Verwitterung wahrgenommen werden, wodurch der Kopf wie ein geheimnisvolles archäologisches Artefakt wirkt, das je nach Drehung und Lichteinfall immer neue Aspekte offenbart. Dazu passt der ebenfalls sein eigenes Material präsentierende Holzsockel, auf dem der Kopf freibeweglich aufliegt.
zum Künstler
Als Sohn eines Steinmetzen war Paul Dierkes von Kindesbeinen an mit dem Werkstoff Stein vertraut. Nach einer Steinmetzlehre entschied er sich, dieses Material auch künstlerisch zu erschließen und Bildhauer zu werden. Zunächst studierte er an der Kunstakademie Königsberg bei Stanislaus Cauer. 1931 wechselte er an die Münchner Akademie und erhielt dort ein Romstipendium. Anschließend fand er in Berlin seinen Lebensmittelpunkt. Erste Einzelausstellungen folgten, unter anderem in der Berliner Galerie Ferdinand Möller und dem Augusteum in Oldenburg. Dierkes unternahm Studienreise nach Amsterdam, Prag und Paris.
Um der Einberufung unter den Nationalsozialisten zu entgehen, verließ er Berlin und wurde nach Kriegsende in Groß-Glienicke sesshaft, zog nach der Teilung Deutschlands jedoch wieder nach West-Berlin.
1947 wurde er an die Berliner Hochschule für Bildende Künste berufen und 1948 zum Professor ernannt. Bis zu seinem Tod leitete er 20 Jahre den Fachbereich für Stein und Holz. Einer seiner Meisterschüler war Heinz Spilker.
Paul Dierkes zählt zu den Protagnisten, die die moderne Skulptur im Nachkriegsdeutschland etabliert haben. Er schuf archaisch wirkende Formen, die eine Aura des Ursprünglichen entfalten und mit ihren figürlichen Allusionen zugleich eine hohe symbolische Valenz aufweisen. Durch die Ursprünglichkeitswirkung ist eine Verwandtschaft seiner Kunst mit der Architektur gegeben, die Dierkes dazu geführt hat, mit Egon Eiermann, Peter Poelzig und Sep Ruf zusammenzuarbeiten. Zahlreiche seiner Werke prägen den öffentlichen Raum und führen vor Augen, dass Dierkes Skulptur auch als monumentale Kunst versteht, die den jeweiligen Ort von einer geformten Ursprünglichkeit her auratisiert und auf diese Weise eine gesellschaftliche Relevanz entfaltet.
Die ästhetische Wirkung plastischer Ursprünglichkeit geht oftmals mit einer Betonung des ‚Gemacht-Sein‘ einher, womit der handwerkliche Aspekt des Schöpfungsaktes herausgestellt wird. Daher war Paul Dierkes auch dem der Schnitzkunst verwandten Holzschnitt zugetan.
1954 wurde Paul Dierkes mit dem Kunstpreis Stadt Berlin geehrt.
Mit jeder Idee wird etwas gestaltet, das wir ahnen, aber nicht wußten.
Paul Dierkes
Eigenschaften von jedem ausgewählten Stück Holz und jedem Stein zu ergründen und einzelnen Naturvorgänge der gewachsenen Organismen im übertragenen Sinne sich mittels eines eigenen Arbeitsprozesses anverwandeln zu können, solche Fähigkeiten sind bereits bei dem jungen Paul Dierkes nach vierjähriger Handwerkslehre als Steinmetz vorhanden gewesen.
Herbert Wolfgang Keiser
Literatur
Herbert Wolfgang Keiser: Der Bildhauer Paul Dierkes, München, 1977.
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Paul Dierkes (1907 Cloppenburg - 1968 Berlin), Vegetative Form. Mahogany, 1958. 142 x 16 x 10 cm (sculpture), 21 x 17.5 cm (base), monogrammed "PD" on the reverse.
- Grown Art -
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- Isolated patina losses, but overall good condition, frame slightly bumped.
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The Blacksmith of Solingen / - The Double-edged Sword -
Located in Berlin, DE
Wilhelm Albermann (1835 Werden an der Ruhr - 1913 Cologne), The Blacksmith of Solingen, after 1895. Bronze-color patinated zinc cast on plinth, 47 cm (height) x 20 cm (width) x 16 cm (depth), weight 5.5 kg. Signed “Albermann.” on the plinth and identified as a cast by “AKT.[TIEN] GES.[ELLSCHAFT] GLADENBECK BERLIN”. Dedication on the front: “Mr. Ing. F. Kuhlmann to the wedding. Management and officials of the Hannoversche Waggonfabrik. Aircraft construction department".
- The zinc showing through in spots, the patina somewhat stained, the right upper arm under the sleeve retouched in black.
- The Double-edged Sword -
The figure is a reduction of Wilhelm Albermann's 1895 fountain figure of the armourer of Solingen, who has always been identified with the historical blacksmith Peter Hahn. In 1839, Karl Simrock wrote the poem “The Blacksmith of Solingen" and thus coined the legendary figure. The first and penultimate verses read:
A blacksmith spoke to Solingen
With every bayonet,
That came to his diligence:
"Oh, that Fritz had it!"
The war took its course,
Many battles were fought,
Which often made him fearful and anxious
In his soul.
The blacksmith had given up his trade to fight for Frederick the Great. Not least because of his strength and will to fight, the battles were won. With his fountain sculpture, Albermann has given the legendary blacksmith a figurative form and at the same time created a landmark for the city of Solingen, which was once famous for the art of sword forging and today still stands for the production of high-quality knives. During the bombing raid in November 1944, the fountain was destroyed along with the entire old town of Solingen. Only the head remained.
The broad-shouldered blacksmith stands securely behind his anvil, his leather apron tied around him, and has just finished a sword blade with his own "weapon" - the blacksmith's hammer. His entire body shows the strength with which he wields the hammer, but also the strain of this activity, as evidenced by the wide open shirt, the somewhat 'untidy' apron, and especially the furrowed face.
However, the blacksmith does not look at the finished work, but resolutely and at the same time thoughtfully into the distance, in line with the quoted verse from Simrock's poem that the battles "often made him fearful and anxious in his soul". There is certainly something melancholy in his gaze, fed by the knowledge of the necessity of forging swords and taking up arms and their deadly use - experiences Albermann had to make during his own war missions. The flowing full beard gives his gaze into the distance an almost prophetic character.
In keeping with the craft of the perfectly formed art of blacksmithing, the detailed casting reproduces the respective materials depicted in perfect form: the leather apron convincingly conveys the impression of leather and lies - also in the back view - like a second formed layer over the body, while the shirt and trousers illustrate their own textile qualities.
Due to its masterful execution and profound content, the “Blacksmith of Solingen”, which has survived in its cast reproductions, remains Albermann's most famous work to this day.
About the artist
The son of a carpenter, Wilhelm Albermann began an apprenticeship as a joiner, but then followed his artistic calling and trained as a sculptor in Elberfeld. In 1855, at the age of twenty, he was drafted into the army in Berlin, where he served until 1857. Albermann attended the Berlin Art Academy on the side and began regular studies after his service. While still a student, he completed commissioned works for his teachers August Fischer and Hugo Hagen. His first independent commissions followed, enabling him to establish a flourishing sculpture studio in Cologne in 1865. His artistic activities were repeatedly interrupted by military service, and he took part in the German-Danish War in 1864, the war against Austria in 1866, and the Franco-Prussian War in 1870/71. After his last war service, Albermann, already a respected artist, founded a commercial drawing school at the request of the city government, where he taught the modeling class and served as director until 1896. In 1890 he also worked for the "Society for the Promotion of Sculpture in the Rhineland and Westphalia".
Albermann was one of the most prolific sculptors in Cologne in the second half of the 19th century. He created numerous monuments, fountains, tomb sculptures, architectural ornaments, and domestic statues. At its peak, his workshop employed up to thirty sculptors and stonemasons at a time.
GERMAN VERSION
Wilhelm Albermann (1835 Werden an der Ruhr - 1913 Köln), Der Schmied von Solingen, nach 1895. Bronzefarben patinierter Zinkguss auf gegossener Plinthe, 47 cm (Höhe) x 20 cm (Breite) x 16 cm (Tiefe), Gewicht 5,5 kg. Auf der Plinthe mit „Albermann.“ signiert und als Guss der „AKT.[TIEN] GES.[ELLSCHAFT] GLADENBECK BERLIN“ ausgewiesen. Schauseitige Widmung: „Herrn Ing. F. Kuhlmann zur Vermählung. Direktion und Beamte der Hannoverschen Waggonfabrik. Abt. Flugzeugbau“.
- Punktuelles Durchscheinen des Zinks, Patina etwas fleckig, der rechte Oberarm unter dem Ärmel schwarz retuschiert.
- Die Zweischneidigkeit des Schwertes -
Die Figur ist eine Reduktion von Wilhelm Albermanns 1895 geschaffener Brunnenfigur des Waffenschmieds von Solingen, der seit jeher mit dem historischen Schmied Peter Hahn identifiziert wurde. 1839 hatte Karl Simrock das Gedicht „Der Schmied von Solingen“ verfasst und damit die legendäre Figur geprägt. Die erste und die vorletzte Strophe lauten:
Zu Solingen sprach ein Schmied
Bei jedem Bajonette,
Das seinem Fleiß geriet:
»Ach, daß der Fritz es hätte!«
Der Krieg ging seinen Gang,
Man schlug noch viele Schlachten,
Die oft ihm angst und bang'
In seiner Seele machten.
Der Schmied hatte sein Handwerk ruhen lassen, um selbst für Friedrich den Großen zu kämpfen. Nicht zuletzt durch seine Kraft und seinen Kampfeswillen verliefen die Schlachten siegreich. Dem legendären Schmied verlieht Albermann mit seiner Brunnenskulptur eine bildliche Gestalt und schuf damit zugleich ein Wahrzeichen der Stadt Solingen, die einst für die Kunst des Schwerterschmiedens berühmt war und bis heute für die Herstellung qualitätvoller Messer einsteht. Beim Bombenangriff im November 1944 wurde mit der gesamten Solinger Altstadt auch der Brunnen zerstört. Einzig der Kopf blieb erhalten.
Mit sicherem Stand und umgebundener Lederschürze steht der breitschultrige Schmied hinter seinem Amboss und hat gerade mit seiner eigenen ‚Waffe‘ – dem Schmiedehammer – eine Schwertklinge fertiggestellt. Seinem gesamten Körper ist die Kraft abzulesen, mit der er den Hammer führt, aber auch die Anstrengung dieser Tätigkeit, wovon das weit geöffnete Hemd, die etwas ‚unordentlich‘ arrangierte Schürze und vor allem das zerfurchte Gesicht zeugen.
Der Schmied schaut aber nicht auf das vollendete Werk, sondern entschlossen und zugleich sinnierend in die Ferne, entsprechend der zitierten Zeile von Simrocks Gedicht, dass die Schlachten „oft ihm angst und bang‘ in seiner Seele machten“. Der Blick hat durchaus etwas Melancholisches, dass sich aus dem Wissen um die Notwendigkeit, Schwerter zu schmieden und zu den Waffen zu greifen und deren tödlichem Einsatz speist – Erfahrungen, die Albermann bei seinen eigenen Kriegseinsätze machen musste. Der wallende Vollbart verleiht dem in die Ferne schauenden Blick einen beinahe prophetischen Charakter.
Dem Handwerk der formvollendenden Schmiedekunst entsprechend, gibt der detaillierte Guss die jeweils dargestellten Materialien in vollendeter Ausformung wieder: Die Lederschürze vermittelt überzeugend den Eindruck des Leders und liegt – auch in der Rückenansicht – wie eine zweite ausgeformte Schicht über dem Körper, während das Hemd und die Hose...
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