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Paul DierkesVegetative Form / - Grown Art -1958
1958
About the Item
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 -
In addition to stone, wood fascinated Paul Dierkes. Unlike the more homogeneous material of sedimentary rock, wood has an inner structure due to its organic growth, which Dierkes transforms artistically. Even the narrow, tall form looks as if it has grown. The thin iron base suggests the soil from which the form grew. It does not need a more extensive foundation for its own internal support, although it is by no means bulky, but has a slender elegance. It tapers in the middle and then widens again, creating a symmetrical overall form whose lightness and perfection recall Constantin Brancusi's The Bird in Space (1923). In contrast to the smooth perfection of the overall form, which is completely harmonious, Dierke's work shows a differentiated formation of form that results from the inner necessity of growth: The lower part appears as a shaft, while the thinner but slightly wider upper part, with its two indentations, resembles a leafy crown. The lower part is connected to the upper part by a stylized consolidation of the form, which swings back into a vertical hollow, so that the inner forces of the organic form seem to be concentrated here. The grain, discoloration and cracks of the mahogany wood in particular contribute to the impression of organicity. They lend the dominant overall form the delicate structure of real growth, nourishing the effect of an inner vitality.
In keeping with the title "Vegetative Form," Dierkes has created a primal form of nature that, in analogy to Karl Blossfeldt's photographs that reveal the structure of nature, is also a primal form of art. Once again, in contrast to Brancusi's smoothness, the clear traces of processing are part of the aesthetic appearance, which - in addition to the natural organicity - emphasizes the aspect of the created work of art. Nature transformed into art, revealing new aspects of its original organic form with every twist and turn in the play of light.
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), Vegetative Form. Mahagoni, 1958. 142 x 16 x 10 cm (Skulptur), 21 x 17,5 cm (Bodenplatte), rückseitig mit „PD“ monogrammiert.
Exposé als PDF
- Gewachsene Kunst -
Neben Stein galt Paul Dierkes Faszination dem Werkstoff Holz. Im Gegensatz zum eher homogenen Material der Sedimentgesteine weist Holz durch das organische Wachstum eine innere Struktur auf, die Dierkes künstlerisch transformiert. Bereits die schmale hohe Form wirkt, als ob sie ihrerseits gewachsen wäre. Die dünne Eisenplinthe suggeriert den Boden, aus dem die Form hervorgegangen ist. Sie benötigt für ihren eigenen inneren Halt kein ausgedehnteres Fundament, obwohl sie keineswegs stämmig ist, sondern eine schlanke Eleganz aufweist. Sie verjüngt sich mittig, um sich dann wieder zu weiten, so dass eine symmetrische Gesamtform entsteht, die in ihrer durch eine Leichtigkeit bestimmten Perfektion an Constantin Brancusis Der Vogel im Raum (1923) gemahnt. Im Gegensatz zur ganz auf die Harmonie der Gesamtform abgestimmten glatten Vollkommenheit weist Dierkes Werk eine differenzierte Formbildung auf, die aus der inneren Notwendigkeit des Aufwachsens resultiert: Der untere Bereich tritt als Schaft in Erscheinung, während der dünnere, jedoch etwas breiter wirkende obere Teil mit seinen beiden Einkerbungen wie eine blattförmige Bekrönung wirkt. Dabei ist der untere mit dem oberen Bereich durch eine stilförmige Formverfestigung verbunden, die in eine vertikale Aushöhlung zurückschwingt, so dass sich hier die inneren Kräfte der organischen Form zu konzentrieren scheinen.
Zum Eindruck der Organizität tragen insbesondere die Maserung, die Verfärbungen und auch die Spannungsrisse des Mahagoniholzes bei. Sie verleihen der dominierenden Gesamtform die feinteilige Struktur eines tatsächlichen Aufgewachsen-Seins, aus der sich die Wirkung einer inneren Lebendigkeit speist.
Dem Titel ‚Vegetative Form‘ entsprechend, hat Dierkes hier eine Urform der Natur geschaffen, die – analog zur Karl Blossfeldts die Struktur der Natur aufdeckenden Fotografien – zugleich eine Urform der Kunst ist. Abermals im Gegensatz zu Brancusis Glätte sind die deutlichen Bearbeitungsspuren Teil der ästhetischen Erscheinung, wodurch – neben der natürlichen Organizität – der Aspekt des geschaffenen Kunstwerks herausgestellt wird. Eine zur Kunst transformierte Natur, die mit jeder Wendung im Wechselspiel des Lichts immer neue Aspekte ihrer organischen Urform offenbart.
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), 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.
- S...
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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
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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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