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Allegory of Progress / - The Driving Force of Inspiration -
Located in Berlin, DE
Ernest Rancoulet (1842-1918), Allegory of Progress, around 1890. Bronze-plated metal cast with cast terrain plinth mounted on a wooden base (6 cm high). 64.5 cm (total height) x 28 c...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal
Spear Fighter / - The Fighter's Concentration -
Located in Berlin, DE
Ludwig Eisenberger (active in Berlin between 1895-1920), Spear Fighter, around 1910. Brown patinated bronze with residual gilding on a cast terrain plinth with marble base (8 cm high...
Category
1910s Realist Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Gradual Rotation / - Dynamic Tectonics -
Located in Berlin, DE
Thomas Röthel (*1969 Ansbach), Gradual Rotation, around 2005. Steel with rust patina mounted on stone plate. Overall dimensions: 38 cm (height) x 34 cm (width) x 27 cm (depth), weigh...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
Helmet Head / - Futuristic Archaism -
Located in Berlin, DE
Karl-Heinz Deutsch (*1940 Karlsruhe), Helmet Head, around 2003. Polished and patinated bronze, 23.5 cm (height) x 25.5 cm (length) x 16 cm (depth), weight 4.9 kg. Monogrammed on the ...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Soaring Eagle / - With eagle eyes -
Located in Berlin, DE
Anonymous, Soaring Eagle, mid-20th century Patinated cast metal mounted on quartz block. 24 cm (total height) x 29 cm (width) x 12 cm (depth).
- Patina heavily rubbed in places, screw connections between sculpture and stone...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal
KPM View cup with the Altes Museum, c. 1830 / - The birth of the Spree-Athens -
Located in Berlin, DE
Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM), View cup with Berlin veduta of the Altes Museum, circa 1830. Bell-shaped cup with raised handle ending in a shell palmette. The front with gold...
Category
1830s Realist More Art
Materials
Porcelain
Pointer / - The elegance of the hunting dog -
Located in Berlin, DE
Anton Büschelberger (1869 Eger - 1934 Dresden), Pointer, around 1930, made by the Karl Ens porcelain manufactory in Volkstedt (Thuringia), model number 2478, 6. Porcelain with underg...
Category
1920s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Bing & Grondahl Figurine Youthful audacity / - Dancing Kiss -
Located in Berlin, DE
Bing & Grondahl / Weiss, Claire, Youthful audacity
Bing & Grondahl figurine by Claire Weiss (1906-1997), Youthful audacity, made between 1970 and 1982, model number 2162, first choic...
Category
1970s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Bing & Grondahl Figure Standing boy with trumpet / - The Fanfare -
Located in Berlin, DE
Michaela Ahlmann, Standing boy with trumpet, made between 1970 and 1982, model number 1792, first choice. Porcelain with underglaze painting. 18.5 cm (height) x 8 cm (length) x 7 cm ...
Category
1970s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Bing & Grondahl Figure Playing Girl / - Seriousness of the game -
Located in Berlin, DE
Adda Bonfils (1883-1914), Playing Girl, designed c. 1920, made between 1966 and 1969, model number 1995, first choice. Porcelain with underglaze painting. 13.5 cm (height) x 9 cm (le...
Category
1920s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Bing & Grondahl Figure Girl in Jacke / - Arrival and Departure -
Located in Berlin, DE
Claire Weiss (1906-1997), Girl in Jacket, made between 1970 and 1982, model number 2387, first choice. Porcelain with underglaze painting. 18 cm (height) x 9 cm (length) x 7 cm (dept...
Category
1950s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Bing & Grondahl Figure Boy playing the flute / - The lightness of tones -
Located in Berlin, DE
Vita Birgitte Thymann, Boy playing the flute, between 1952 and 1957. model number 2344. First choice. Porcelain with underglaze painting. 13 cm (height) x 11 cm (length) x 12 cm (dep...
Category
1950s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Figure Girl in Bornholm costume / - Only the braid -
Located in Berlin, DE
Lotte Benter, Girl in Bornholm costume, design around 1925, execution 1967, model number 1323, First choice. Porcelain with underglaze painting. 21 cm (height) x 12 cm (length) x 10 ...
Category
1920s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Figure Carving Boy / - Immersed in concentration -
Located in Berlin, DE
Christian Thomsen (1860 Kolding - 1921 Copenhagen), Carving boy, design around 1915, execution 1966. model number 905. First choice. Porcelain with underglaze painting. 18.5 cm (heig...
Category
1910s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Figure Peasant girl with goose / - The Mother Goose -
Located in Berlin, DE
Christian Thomsen (1860 Kolding - 1921 Copenhagen), Peasant girl with goose, design c. 1910, execution 1966. model number 527. First choice. Porcelain ...
Category
1910s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Figure Milkmaid / - The dignity of the farmer's wife -
Located in Berlin, DE
Christian Thomsen (1860 Kolding - 1921 Copenhagen), Milkmaid with stool and milk jug, designed around 1910, executed between 1975 and 1979. Model number 899. First choice. Porcelain ...
Category
1910s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Juggler / - Artistic naturalness -
Located in Berlin, DE
Claire Jeanne Robertine Colinet (1880 Brussels - 1950 Asnières-sur-Seine), Juggler, around 1920. Brownish patinated bronze with gilded balls on a round, multi-profiled stone base (10...
Category
1920s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Crusader with shield and mace / - Ready to strike -
Located in Berlin, DE
Josef Moest (1873 Cologne - 1914 Rath), Crusader with shield and mace, around 1910. Bronze on a black marble pedestal (19 cm high). 57.5 cm (total height) x 21 cm (width) x 12 cm (de...
Category
1910s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Naked warrior with short sword / - The New Hercules -
Located in Berlin, DE
Hermann Volz (1847 Karlsruhe - 1914 ibid.), Naked warrior with short sword, c. 1935. Partially (?) patinated bronze with cast plinth mounted on a black marble base (6.8 cm high). 32....
Category
1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Bust of a young woman / - The Opulence of Beauty -
Located in Berlin, DE
Anton Nelson (i.e. Antoine Joseph van den Kerckhoven) (1849 Brussels - after 1910 ibid.), Bust of a young woman, c. 1890. Patinated bronze on cast base, 30 cm (total height) x 20 cm ...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Gladiator ready for battle / - Ready for anything -
By Bruno Zach
Located in Berlin, DE
Bruno Zach (1891 Zhitomir - 1945 Vienna), Gladiator ready for battle, c. 1930. Blackish patinated bronze with silver-plated helmet, shield rim and shield pommel mounted on a fluted m...
Category
1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
The Victorious David / - The melancholy of the radiant hero -
Located in Berlin, DE
Henri Honoré Plé (1853 Paris - 1922 Paris), The Victorious David, around1890. Red-brown and brown patinated bronze with terrain plinth mounted on a round base. 42 cm (total height) x...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
The Victorious David / - The melancholy of the radiant hero -
Located in Berlin, DE
Henri Honoré Plé (1853 Paris - 1922 Paris), The Victorious David, around 1890. Red-brown and brown patinated bronze with terrain plinth mounted on a round base. 62 cm (total height) ...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Joan of Arc / - The Liberating Power of Faith -
Located in Berlin, DE
Eugène Laurent (1832 Gray - 1898 Paris), Joan of Arc, around 1880. Brown patinated bronze on a cast rectangular plinth with tree trunk and distaff. 40 cm (height) x 15.5 cm (length) x 15.5 cm (depth), weight 6.1 kg. Signed “E.[ugène] Laurent.” on the plinth and inscribed “HZ” on the reverse.
- somewhat stained due to patina, traces of oxidation behind the distaff, slightly rubbed in places, overall still in very good condition for its age
- The Liberating Power of Faith -
At the age of 13, Jeanne, a peasant girl born in Lorraine around 1412, heard the voices of Saints Catherine and Margaret and the Archangel Michael telling her that she had been chosen to liberate France from English occupation. By 1428, Henry VI's troops had advanced to the Loire and besieged Orléans, a strategic city for the further conquest of France. Joan of Arc went to the exile of Charles VII and, with the king's consent, led the French army into battle against the besiegers. After four days of fighting, the English were defeated and Orléans was liberated. Other victorious battles followed, until in 1430 she fell into the hands of the enemy, who had her executed as a witch by the Inquisition. In May 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at Rouen.
After the final expulsion of the English, the "Maid of Orleans" was rehabilitated by the Church in 1456. She was finally canonized in 1920. By then, Joan of Arc had become a national heroine and the patron saint of France. After the French Revolution, the strengthening of the nation-state and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, Joan of Arc was again venerated and depicted in numerous bronze statues.
Eugène Laurent depicts the young girl listening to the voices of the saints who reveal her destiny. With her eyes wide open, she gazes at the sky as if she were looking at the revealed future. Her hands are clasped in prayer, indicating her willingness to face her destiny. Leaning against a tree trunk, she treads with one foot on a raised stone, which, together with her upward gaze, gives her an upward movement that announces her higher mission. At the same time, however, she steps down from the stone to the earth, emphasizing her earthly mission, for which she has already taken the first step. In doing so, she steps over the discarded distaff, which refers to her "lower" origins and belongs to the life she has now left behind.
Laurent manages to capture the fateful emotion that makes us look at Joan of Arc in awe, even though she is a simple peasant girl. Even if the design is aimed at the overall impression, the artist has nevertheless worked out certain details, such as the tied waistcoat, very realistically and, in addition to the skin, has particularly depicted the material quality of the textiles.
About the artist
Eugène Laurent studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he won a prize in 1860. He then joined the studio of Jacques Antoine Theodore Coinchon. As a freelance artist, he supplied the Paris Salon with statues, portrait busts, and medallions from 1861 to 1893. He also created large sculptures such as the monument to Jacques Callot in Nancy (1877) and the statue of François Boucher at the Paris City Hall.
GERMAN VERSION
Eugène Laurent (1832 Gray - 1898 Paris), Jeanne d’Arc, um 1880. Braun patinierte Bronze auf mitgegossener rechteckiger Plinthe mit Baumstamm und Spinnrocken. 40 cm (Höhe) x 15,5 cm (Länge) x 15,5, cm (Tiefe), Gewicht 6,1 kg. Auf der Plinthe mit „E.[ugène] Laurent.“ signiert und rückseitig mit „HZ“ bezeichnet.
- patinabedingt etwas fleckig, Oxidationsspuren hinter dem Spinnrocken, stellenweise leicht berieben, insgesamt in einem altersgemäß noch sehr guten Zustand
- Die befreiende Kraft des Glaubens -
Als 13jähige vernahm das um 1412 in Lothringen geborene Bauernmädchen Jeanne Stimmen der Heiligen Katharina und Margarete und des Erzengels Michael, die ihr verkündeten, auserwählt zu sein, Frankreich von der englischen Besatzung zu befreien. 1428 waren die Truppen von Heinrich VI. bis zur Loire vorgerückt und belagerten die für eine Weitereroberung Frankreichs strategisch wichtige Stadt Orléans. Jeanne d’Arc begab sich ins Exil Karls VII. und führte mit der Einwilligung des Königs das französische Heer gegen die Belagerer ins Feld. Nach viertätiger Schlacht unterlagen die Engländer und Orléans war befreit. Es folgten weitere siegreiche Kämpfen bis sie 1430 in die Hände des Feindes fiel, der bei der Inquisition ihre Hinrichtung als Hexe erwirkte. Im Mai 1431 wurde Jeanne d’Arc in Rouen verbrannt.
Im Anschluss an die endgültige Vertreibung der Engländer wurde die „Jungfrau von Orléans“ 1456 von der Kirche rehabilitiert. 1920 erfolgte schließlich ihre Heiligsprechung. Inzwischen galt Jeanne d’Arc als Nationalheldin und Schutzpatronin Frankreichs. In der Nachfolge der Französischen Revolution, dem Erstarken der Nationalstaatlichkeit und dem Deutsch-Französischen Krieg von 1870/71 erfuhr Jeanne d‘Art eine neue Verehrung und wurde in zahlreichen Bronzestatuen dargestellt.
Eugène Laurent zeigt das junge Mädchen wie sie die Stimmen der Heiligen vernimmt, die ihr das von der Vorsehung bestimmte Schicksal offenbaren. Mit weit geöffneten Augen blickt sie gen Himmel als ob sie die offenbarte Zukunft schauen würde. Dabei hat sie die Hände in Gebetshaltung geschlossen, was zugleich vom Willen kündet, sich ihrem Schicksal zu stellen. An einen Baumstamm gelehnt, tritt sie mit dem einen Fuß auf einen erhöhten Stein, was ihr – zusammen mit dem aufwärts gerichteten Blick – eine von ihrer höheren Mission kündende Aufwärtsbewegung verleiht. Zugleich tritt sie aber auch von dem Stein auf die Erde herab, wodurch ihre irdische Mission hervorgehoben wird, zu der sie bereits den ersten Schritt getan hat. Dabei steigt sie über den abgelegten Spinnrocken hinweg, der auf ihre ‚niedere‘ Herkunft verweist und zum nun abgelegten Leben gehört.
Laurent gelingt es, die schicksalhafte Ergriffenheit zur Darstellung zu bringen, die uns Jeanne d‘Arc, obwohl sie ein einfaches Bauernmädchen ist, ehrfürchtig betrachten lässt. Auch wenn die Gestaltung auf den Gesamteindruck zielt, hat der Künstler doch einzelne Details, wie die zugebundene Weste, äußerst realitätsnah herausgearbeitet und neben der Haut insbesondere die stoffliche Qualität der Textilien zur Darstellung gebracht.
zum Künstler
Eugène Laurent studierte an der Pariser École des Beaux-Arts und wurde 1860 von der Akademie mit einem Preis ausgezeichnet. Anschließend trat er in das Atelier Jacques Antoine Theodore Coinchon ein. Als freischaffender Künstler beschickte er von 1861 bis 1893 den Pariser Salon mit Statuen, Porträtbüsten und Medaillons. Zudem schuf er Großplastiken wie das Denkmal Jacques Callots in Nancy (1877) und die Statue...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Vigilant Sitting German Shepherd / - The Epitome of the German Shepherd -
Located in Berlin, DE
Albert Pierre LaPlanche (1854 Sainte-Menehould - 1935 Chäteau-Thierry), Vigilant sitting shepherd dog, around 1915. Brown patinated bronze on cast terrain plinth. 45 cm (height) x 45...
Category
1910s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Reading Woman / - The golden glow of imagination -
By Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Located in Berlin, DE
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824 Anizy-le-Château - 1887 Sèvres), Reading Woman, around 1880. Polished bronze mounted on a cast base. 33 cm (total height) x 9 cm (length) x 9 cm ...
Category
1880s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Girl with a Kid / - Caresses of innocence -
By Ary Bitter
Located in Berlin, DE
Ary Bitter (1883 Marseille - 1973 Paris), Girl with Kid, around 1930. Green patinated bronze with cast plinth loosely mounted on a white-veined dark green marble base. Dimensions of the plinth: 5 cm (height) x 80 cm (length) x 24 (width), dimensions of the bronze 28 cm (height) x 72 cm (length) x 18 cm (width). Weight of the bronze 18.2 kg, total weight 39.2 kg. Signed “Ary Bitter.” on the plinth and stamped “L N Paris J L” by the foundry Les Neveux de Jacques Lehmann...
Category
1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Psyche / - Fulfilled longing -
Located in Berlin, DE
Jan Jozef Jaquet (1822 Antwerp - 1898 Brussels), Psyche, 1847. Black-brown and brown patinated bronze on a cast base. 30 cm (height) x 22 cm (width) x 12 cm (depth), weight 5 kg. Ver...
Category
1840s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Hunting dog on the prowl / - Following the scent -
By Jules Moigniez
Located in Berlin, DE
Jules Moigniez (1835 Senlis - 1894 St-Martin-du-Tertre), Hunting dog on the prowl, around 1880. Dark patinated bronze with naturalistic terrain plinth, 16 cm (height) x 30 cm (length...
Category
1890s Naturalistic Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
The Feeding / - Natural grace -
Located in Berlin, DE
Erich Schmidt-Kestner (1877 Berlin - 1941 Nordhausen), The Feeding, around 1915. Gold and black patinated bronze with cast brown patinated plinth mounted on a lightly veined black-gr...
Category
1910s Art Nouveau Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Field worker with rake / - The Humility of the Farm Worker -
Located in Berlin, DE
Paul Ludwig Kowalczewski (1865 Mieltschin - 1910 Berlin), Field worker with rake, around 1900. Brown and brown-greenish patinated bronze with cast naturalistic plinth mounted on a wh...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Javelin thrower / - Roman present -
By Franz Iffland
Located in Berlin, DE
Franz Iffland (1862 Tempelhof - 1935 Berlin), Javelin thrower, after 1910. Olive-black patinated bronze with cast plinth mounted on a white-veined black marble base (7 cm high). Tota...
Category
1910s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
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...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal
Forest idyll / - Soulmate -
By Rudolf Kaesbach
Located in Berlin, DE
Rudolf Kaesbach (1873 Gladbach - 1955 Berlin), Forest idyll, around 1915. Bronze, gold and golden brown patina, with cast plinth, mounted on a marble base (5 cm high), total height 36 cm, dimensions of the bronze: 31 cm (height) x 17 cm (length) x 12 cm (width). Weight 4,6 kg, signed on the plinth "R.[udolf] KAESBACH".
- a few rubbed areas, overall in excellent condition for its age
- Soulmate -
The bronze sculpture depicts a young woman in an intimate exchange with a deer that accompanies her. The animal pauses to turn toward her, while the nude beauty slows her pace to look into the deer's eyes and tenderly caress it with her hand. The woman and the deer are in inner harmony. Even though her lips remain motionless, she speaks the language of the animal with which she is deeply connected.
The golden patina, which contrasts with the more naturalistic coloring of the deer, gives the young woman the appearance of a saint, even if she cannot be identified as such. At the same time, she evokes memories of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, or a nymph. But she lacks the ferocity. In her innocent naivety, she is more like a vestal virgin, who is not at home in the solitude of the forest. And yet, the young beauty, moving unclothed in the heart of nature, looks like a priestess with her hair tied up and a carefully carried bowl on her way to a sacred grove.
In order to open up the above-mentioned associations, Kaesbach deliberately designed the female figure in such a way that she cannot be identified as a specific person. He has created an allegory of natural femininity, characteristic of Art Nouveau, in which the deer is far more than a companion animal. It displays the same gracefulness as the young woman, and the inner resemblance between the two makes the deer appear as her other self. In animal terms, it embodies her inner being, which also gives the deer an allegorical character.
About the artist
Rudolf Kaesbach studied sculpture at the Hanau Academy and worked in a bronze foundry in Paris in 1900. In order to work as an independent artist, he opened a workshop in Düsseldorf, where he cast bronzes from models he designed. In 1902 he made his debut at the German National Art Exhibition in Düsseldorf. The following year Kaesbach went to the academy in Brussels. There he was inspired by contemporary Belgian sculpture, especially the work of Constantin Meunier. He moved to Berlin, where he opened a studio in the villa district of Grunewald and devoted himself to life-size marble sculptures and the design of bronzes. From 1911, he regularly presented his works at the major art exhibitions in Berlin, as well as in Düsseldorf and Malmö. Between 1936 and 1939, he also created models for the Rosenthal porcelain factory. From 1939 to 1944, Kaesbach was represented at the major German art exhibitions in Munich.
GERMAN VERSION
Rudolf Kaesbach (1873 Gladbach - 1955 Berlin), Waldidyll, um 1915. Gold und goldbraun patinierte Bronze mit gegossener Plinthe, auf einem Marmorsockel montiert (5 cm Höhe), Gesamthöhe 36 cm, Maße der Bronze: 31 cm (Höhe) x 17 cm (Länge) x 12 cm (Breite). Gewicht 4,6 kg, auf der Plinthe mit „R.[udolf] KAESBACH“ signiert.
- vereinzele beriebene Stellen, insgesamt in einem altersgemäß ausgezeichneten Zustand
- Seelenverwandtschaft -
Die Bronzeplastik veranschaulicht eine junge Frau im innigen Austausch mit einem sie begleitenden Reh. Das Tier hält inne, um sich zu ihr hochzuwenden, während die nackte Schönheit ihren Schritt verlangsamt, um dem Reh ebenfalls in die Augen zu schauen und es zärtlich mit der Hand zu liebkosen. Die Frau und das Reh sind in einem inneren Gleichklang. Auch wenn ihre Lippen unbewegt bleiben, spricht sie die Sprache des Tieres, mit dem sie auf eine tief empfundene Weise verbunden ist.
Die im Kontrast zur naturalistischeren Einfärbung des Rehs aufstrahlende goldfarbene Patina lässt die junge Frau wie eine Heilige erscheinen, auch wenn sich nicht als Heilige identifizierbar ist. Zugleich ruft sie Erinnerungen an die Jagdgöttin Diana oder eine Nymphe hervor. Dafür fehlt ihr allerdings die Wildheit. In ihrer unschuldigen Naivität gemahnt sie vielmehr an eine Vestalin, die freilich nicht in der Waldeinsamkeit zu Hause ist. Und doch wirkt die sich unbekleidet im Herzen der Natur bewegende junge Schönheit wie eine Priesterin, die sich mit hochgebundenem Haar und der vorsichtig getragenen Schale und dem Wege zu einem Heiligen Hain befindet.
Um die gennannten Assoziationen zu eröffnen, hat Kaesbach die Frauenfigur bewusst so gestaltet, dass sie nicht als konkrete Person identifizierbar ist. Damit hat er eine für den Jugendstil charakteristische Allegorie natürlicher Weiblichkeit geschaffen, bei der das Reh weit mehr als ein Begleittier ist. Es weist dieselbe grazile Anmut wie die junge Frau auf und der innere Gleichklag der beiden lässt das Reh als ihr anderen Ich erscheinen. Es verkörpert – ins Animalische übertragen - ihr inneres Wesen, wodurch auch dem Reh ein allegorischer Charakter zukommt.
zum Künstler
Rudolf Kaesbach studierte an der Akademie Hanau Bildhauerei und war im Jahr 1900 in einer Pariser Bronzegießerei tätig. Um sich als eigenständiger Künstler betätigen zu können, eröffnete er in Düsseldorf eine Werkstatt, in der er Bronzen nach selbstentworfenen Modellen goss. 1902 debütierte er auf der Deutschen Nationalen Kunstaustellung in Düsseldorf. Im Folgejahr ging Kaesbach an die Akademie nach Brüssel. Dort wurde er von der zeitgenössischen belgischen Bildhauerei, insbesondere vom Werk Constantin Meuniers, inspiriert. Zurückgekehrt zog er nach Berlin, wo er im Villenviertel Grunewald ein Atelier eröffnete und sich neben dem Entwurf für Bronzen der lebensgroßen Marmorbildhauerei widmete. Ab 1911 präsentierte er seine Werke regelmäßig auf den Großen Berliner Kunstausstellungen, aber auch in Düsseldorf und Malmö. Zwischen 1936 und 1939 fertigte er zudem Modelle für die Porzellan-Manufaktur Rosenthal an. Von 1939 bis 1944 war...
Category
1910s Jugendstil Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Bust of a young woman / - Beauty of youth -
Located in Berlin, DE
Anonymous, Bust of a young woman, c. 1900, artificial marble and gray onyx marble. 37 cm (height) x 37 cm (width) x 22 cm (depth), weight 17.2 kg. Signed “GURRINI” on the reverse.
-...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Sheltering from the storm / - Romantic landscape illuminated by lightning bolt -
By George Morland
Located in Berlin, DE
George Morland (1763 London - 1804 Brighton). Sheltering from the Storm. Oil on canvas, relined, 37.5 x 29.5 cm (visible size), 53.5 x 45.5 cm (...
Category
1790s Romantic Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
Florentine singer / - The Renaissance of the Renaissance -
By Paul Dubois
Located in Berlin, DE
Paul Dubois (1829 Nogent-sur-Seine - 1905 Paris), Florentine singer, 1865. Light brown patinated bronze with cast round plinth mounted on a square marble base (3.5 cm high). Total height 53 cm. Bronze dimensions: 49.5 cm (height) x 20 cm (length) x 10 cm (width), weight 5.6 kg. Inscribed on the plinth "P.[aul] DUBOIS", dated "1865", with the foundry's mark "F. BARBEDIENNE FONDEUR" and the signet "REDUCTION MECANIQUE A. COLLAS".
- Patina very occasionally darkened, lute with loss of one tuning peg, otherwise in excellent condition.
- The renaissance of the Renaissance -
The bronze is a precisely executed and masterfully cast contemporary reduction of Paul Dubois 155 cm tall masterpiece "Florentine Singer", which is exhibited in the Musée d'Orsay and for which the artist was awarded the Medal of Honor at the Paris Salon in 1865. The work acted as a beacon, and was followed by a plethora of depictions of juveniles.
Inspired by Donatello and Luca della Robbia, but also by painters such as Piero della Francesca, Benozzo Gozzoli, and Pinturicchio, the "Florentine Singer" is not an epigonal work that pays homage to a vanished era, but a successful attempt to draw vitality from the art of the past and thus give it new life.
The effect of vitality is the core of Italian Renaissance art theory. In order to fulfill itself as art, art had to appear like nature. This naturalism also characterizes the "Florentine Singer". The young man appears to have been taken from life, which is reinforced by the momentary nature of his action. He has just struck a now fading chord. In addition, the natural appearance is enhanced by the detailed shaping of the figurative details, such as the laces with the slightly curved leather of the shoes, the belt buckle, or the ornamentation on the body of the lute. Even the fingernails are clearly defined. Unlike the Renaissance, however, the effect of liveliness here is not based on the "discovery" of nature and the human body, but primarily on the rediscovery of the art of the Quattrocento. The liveliness of the artwork is therefore at the same time a revitalization of this art, so that we can speak of a Renaissance of the Renaissance, just as the Pre-Raphaelites in England at the same time transferred the Quattrocento to contemporary art.
Dubois takes on the most difficult of all subjects, the depiction of singing through silent sculpture. He was preceded in this by Luca della Robbia and Donatello with their pulpits of singers created in the 1430s in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence. Compared to these works, the physiognomy of Dubois singer is far less animated, yet he also depicts singing in a convincing manner. He uses the whole body. He takes the ancient contrapposto, which was essential to Renaissance sculpture, and transforms the standing leg-playing posture into a late medieval S-swing, giving the body an elegant beauty and at the same time setting it in melodic motion. In the equally elegant finger position, the music is expressed in a much more literal way with the beating of the lute. Finally, the musicality of the sculpture culminates in the face with the mouth open to sing.
Through the act of singing, which is a great challenge to the artistic will to depict perfect beauty, the gracefulness of the classical face is not diminished, but enhanced. Starting from the face with the singing mouth and the gaze absorbed by the sounds, the inner vitality spreads, giving the bronze sculpture an intense aura, enhanced by the music. Dubois transfers the beauty of the Renaissance to the musical, sublimating the visible sculpture to the invisible of music.
He took up the challenge of transcending the Renaissance with the Renaissance, thus responding to the Querelle des Anciens et des Modernes, which arose at the end of the 17th century around the French Academy and remained virulent into the 19th century, in which antiquity was regarded either as an unattainable ideal or as a standard to be surpassed. With his work, Dubois proved that the Renaissance, which had championed the art of the ancients, could lead to a new renaissance of art.
About the artist
Paul Dubois' great-uncle was the famous French Baroque sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, in whose footsteps the talented great-nephew followed. When he debuted at the Paris Salon in 1858, he signed his work "Dubois-Pigalle". At his father's request, however, he first studied law before devoting himself to sculpture under the tutelage of François Christophe Armand Toussaint in 1856 and entering the École des Beaux-Arts in 1858. From 1859 to 1863, he lived in Rome and traveled to Naples and Florence. Inspired by Florentine art of the quattrocento, Dubois initiated a school-forming neo-Florentine style that combined the elegantly simple forms of youthful grace with a precise wealth of detail.Two purchases by the French state (“envois de Rome”) were made during his stay in Rome, which brought him recognition in Paris. After his return there, he quickly became an internationally sought-after artist.
Dubois was also active as a creator of monuments. His most famous work is the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc (1896) on the forecourt of Reims Cathedral. He was also a sought-after portraitist who produced around 50 busts and - Dubois was also a passionate painter - around 100 portraits in oil.
From 1873 to 1878 he was curator of the Museum du Luxembourg, in 1876 he became a member of the Institut de France and from 1878 to 1905 he was director of the École des Beaux-Arts.
In 1865, Dubois was awarded the Paris Salon Medal of Honor for his “Florentine Singer”. In 1867 he became Chevalier, in 1874 Officier, in 1886 Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur, which awarded Dubois the Grande Croix in 1896.
Selected Bibliography
Stole, Elmar: Paul Dubois. In: Saur. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, vol. 30, Munich - Leipzig 2001, pp. 677-678.
GERMAN VERSION
Paul Dubois (1829 Nogent-sur-Seine - 1905 Paris), Florentinischer Sänger, 1865. Hellbraun patinierte Bronze mit gegossener runder Plinthe auf quadratischem Marmorsockel montiert (3,5 cm Höhe). Gesamthöhe 53 cm. Maße der Bronze: 49,5 cm (Höhe) x 20 cm (Länge) x 10 cm (Breite), Gewicht 5,6 kg. Auf der Plinthe mit „P.[aul] DUBOIS“ bezeichnet, auf „1865“ datiert, mit dem Gießereistempel „F. BARBEDIENNE FONDEUR“ und dem Signet „REDUCTION MECANIQUE A. COLLAS“ versehen.
- Patina sehr vereinzelt nachgedunkelt, Laute mit Verlust eines Stimmwirbels, ansonsten ausgezeichnet erhalten.
- Die Renaissance...
Category
1860s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Pecheur / - Full of anticipation -
Located in Berlin, DE
Adolphe Jean Lavergne (1863-1928), Pecheur, c. 1900. Brown patinated bronze with rectangular cast plinth on a green marble base (3 cm high), total height with hinge 37 cm, width 9 cm, depth 8 cm, weight 2.9 kg, signed “Lavergne” on the plinth.
- Base with old drilling and a few oxidized areas, patina occasionally rubbed, somewhat stained in the folds.
- Full of anticipation -
This bronze is the larger, highly detailed version of the fisherman that made Parisian artist Adolphe Jean Lavergne famous. In preparation for fishing, the boy prepares his rod before heading out to sea. The attachment of the iron ring and the rope behind him suggest a quay wall and a boat moored there. However, the depiction is entirely focused on the actual action of the young fisherman: With equal skill and concentration, he bends a hook to connect it to the fishing line. The contrast with his casual clothing, the loose-fitting trousers, the open shirt with its "wild" folds, and, last but not least, the sun hat boldly perched on his neck, reinforces the impression of the attentive care with which he goes about his work. His gaze makes him appear absorbed, as if he has forgotten the world around him and yet he is visibly filled with anticipation of fishing.
GERMAN VERSION
Adolphe Jean Lavergne (1863-1928), Pecheur, um 1890. Braun patinierte Bronze mit rechteckiger gegossener Plinthe auf grünem Marmorsockel (3 cm Höhe), Gesamthöhe mit Angel 37 cm, Breite 9 cm, Tiefe 8 cm, Gewicht 2,9 kg, auf der Plinthe mit „Lavergne“ signiert.
- Sockel mit alter Bohrung und wenigen oxidierten Stellen, Patina mitunter berieben, in den Falten vereinzelt etwas fleckig.
- Voller Vorfreude -
Die Bronzefigur ist die größere äußerst detaillierte Ausführung des Fischers, mit dem der Pariser Künstler Adolphe Jean Lavergne bekannt geworden ist. In Vorbereitung auf das Fischen präpariert der Junge die Angel...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Young Roman / - Youthful Sprezzatura -
Located in Berlin, DE
Fritz Heinemann (1864 Altena - 1932 Berlin), Young Roman, 1892. Brownish patinated bronze on a cast round plinth, mounted on a red marble base (8.5 cm high), total height 36 cm, dime...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Mother Happiness / - The ecstasy of maternal joy -
Located in Berlin, DE
Johannes Boese (1856 Ostrog - 1917 Berlin), Mutterglück, um 1910. Goldbraun patinierte Bronze auf gegossener rechteckiger Plinthe, montiert auf zweifarbigem Marmorsockel (9,5 cm Höhe...
Category
1910s Art Nouveau Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Boy playing the shawm / - The transience of sounds -
Located in Berlin, DE
Hans Harders (1875 Mörel - 1955 Berlin), Boy playing the shawm, around 1930. Dark patinated bronze with round plinth on a black marble base (2 cm high), t...
Category
1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Summer Forest Landscape, 1915 / - The Forest Walk -
Located in Berlin, DE
Stanislas Warnie (1879-1958), Summer Forest Landscape, 1915. Watercolor, 31.5 cm x 45 cm (passepartout), 50.5 cm x 63.5 cm (frame), signed "S. Warnie" at lower left and dated "1915"....
Category
1910s Art Nouveau Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Kunsttöpferei Kandern, Thrown vase with double gradient glaze / - Flowering vase
Located in Berlin, DE
Kunsttöpferei Kandern (1897-1927), Thrown vase with two layers of glaze, between 1914 and 1927, terracotta, marked 'KTK' on the underside and marked as model number '781', 19 cm (hei...
Category
1920s Art Nouveau More Art
Materials
Terracotta
Kunsttöpferei Kandern, Bulbous vase with gradient glaze / - Inner abundance -
Located in Berlin, DE
Kunsttöpferei Kandern (1897-1927), Bulbous vase with clay-colored gradient glaze on a black-blue ground, between 1914 and 1927. Terracotta, marked 'KTK' on the underside and identifi...
Category
1920s Art Nouveau More Art
Materials
Terracotta
Kunsttöpferei Kandern, Bulbous vase with gradient glaze / - Inner abundance -
Located in Berlin, DE
Kunsttöpferei Kandern (1897-1927), Bulbous vase with clay-colored gradient glaze on a black-blue ground, between 1914 and 1927. Terracotta, marked 'KTK' on the underside and identifi...
Category
1920s Art Nouveau More Art
Materials
Terracotta
Archaic Head / - Shaped Originality -
Located in Berlin, DE
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...
Category
1950s Post-War Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Stone
Vegetative Form / - Grown Art -
Located in Berlin, DE
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 -
...
Category
1950s Post-War Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Mahogany
Goethe / - Goethe's Will -
Located in Berlin, DE
Hans Harders (1875 Mörel - 1955 Berlin), Goethe (bookend). Patinated brass mounted on a wooden base, 15 x 12 x 6 cm (depiction), 17 x 14.5 x 7 cm (with ba...
Category
1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Brass
Sun God Ra / - The Light of Knowledge -
Located in Berlin, DE
Anonymous, Sun God Ra (bookend), 16 x 13.5 x 6 cm (depiction), 17.5 x 13.5 x 8 cm (with pedestal), patinated brass, c. 1935.
- Nose slightly rubbed, otherwise very good condition
...
Category
1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Brass
Homage à Kahnweiler / - The Appearance of Genius-
Located in Berlin, DE
Irmgard Biernath (1905 Waldheim in Saxony - 1998 Mainz), Hommage à Kahnweiler, 1984. Terracotta relief, burnished red body, 43.5 x 38 cm, mounted on support plate, in wooden frame 57 x 49.5 cm, monogrammed "IB" at lower right.
- Isolated patina losses, but overall good condition, frame slightly bumped.
- The Appearance of Genius-
This homage to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler shows the gallerist and art theorist as Pablo Picasso portrayed him in his lithographic portrait of 1957.
As an innovative Parisian gallery owner, Kahnweiler had exclusively represented Picasso since 1911, while Picasso had painted his famous portrait of Kahnweiler the previous year as a major work of Cubism. And it is Picasso who appears at the centre of Irmgard Biernath's image. Here, his face echoes the features of the self-portrait he painted in 1907 in the Prague National Gallery.
His eyes are wide open as he gazes into the distance, surrounded by the works of his artistic vision that have already taken shape. On the right is the bronze "Man with Sheep...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
The Lost Trace / - The Holy Night as a real dream -
By Ernst Fuchs
Located in Berlin, DE
Ernst Fuchs (1930 Vienna - 2015 ibid), The Lost Trace, 1972. Vernis mou and aquatint etching, 46.8 x 36.4 cm (plate), 66 x 50 cm (sheet), 69.5 x 53.5 cm (frame), WVZ Hartmann no. 185...
Category
1970s Surrealist Figurative Prints
Materials
Etching
The gift of flowers / - The depth of allegory -
By Conrad Kiesel
Located in Berlin, DE
Conrad Kiesel (1846-1921), The gift of flowers. Oil on wood, 43 x 35 cm, 69 x 61 cm (frame), signed at lower left "Conrad Kiesel pxt [pinxit]", about 1900. In a magnificent gilt stuc...
Category
1890s Academic Nude Paintings
Materials
Oil
Wind Dodgers at the Baltic Sea / - The Sensuousness of the Baltic Sea -
Located in Berlin, DE
Theodor Scheerbaum (1897 Reichenbach im Vogtland), Wind Dodgers at the Baltic Sea. Watercolor on strong yellowish grained paper, 44 x 56 cm, signed by hand "Th[eodor] Scheerbaum" at ...
Category
1950s Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Threatening to defeat me once and for all / - A Christmas Pietà -
Located in Berlin, DE
Johannes Heisig (*1953 Leipzig), "Threatening to defeat me once and for all" - To the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. Lithograph on strong yellowish laid paper with wate...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
My treasure, my sanctuary / - A Tortured Treasure -
Located in Berlin, DE
Johannes Heisig (*1953 Leipzig), "My treasure, my sanctuary" - To the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. Lithograph on strong yellowish laid paper with watermark, 53 x 39.5...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Late Summer River Landscape / - Realistic Impression -
By Jan Hillebrand Wijsmüller
Located in Berlin, DE
Jan Hillebrand Wijsmuller (1855 Amsterdam - 1925 ibid.), Late Summer River Landscape, oil on canvas, relined, 34 x 56 cm (inside measurement), 43 x 64 cm (frame), signed J[an] H[illebrand] Wijsmuller at lower right.
- in good condition, the frame with isolated bumped spots
- Realistic Impression -
About the artwork
The panoramic landscape format shows a river landscape, with the course of the river, which curves to the right, leading the eye into the depths of the picture and tempting it to continue the landscape in the imagination beyond the visible area. At the same time, however, the fact that the landscape is not visible through the bend in the river focuses our gaze on the entirety of the landscape depicted, without prompting us to focus on distant details. Accordingly, the brushstroke is not designed to render details with realistic precision. In the front left area of the river there is even a completely free brushwork, trained by Impressionism, which nevertheless remains committed to representational and convincingly suggests the movement of the water.
Regardless of the distance of the observer, the entire picture is painted with the same broad brushstroke, so that the landscape is given as an impression. And yet this impression is not ephemeral, as in the case of French Impressionism, to put it exaggeratedly, but reveals to us the essence of the landscape in all its richness. This is why the Dutch variant of Impressionism is always also a realism, although the pictures appear less progressive, but still contain a dimension of landscape painting that is lost with progress.
In the impression, the reality of the landscape is revealed, and this happens as we experience the landscape in the visual impression. Wijsmuller does not depict houses or people in order to allow the experience of the landscape to fully unfold. The experience is determined first and foremost by the river, which does not flow into the picture from our point of view, but towards us. Where the river begins to bend, the water is churned by a rapids. Toward us, the riverbed widens and the water comes to rest, covering the entire width of the foreground like a mirror.
The stillness of the water corresponds to the evening mood of the late summer landscape, in which the warm tones of the evening light blend with the yellow and brown tones of the plants. A gentle, almost idyllic reality, carried by the brushstroke, yet animated by a liveliness that is also made visible by the brushstroke. The broad, dynamically placed brushstrokes evoke the movement of the treetops and animate even the immobile reeds, while the trunks on the right bank, executed in virtuoso white strokes that seem like markings, make the sunlight shine. On the other bank, a carpet of light also spreads out, its energetic effect again expressed in the brushstroke. The dynamic of the landscape is further enhanced by the complementary color contrasts between the greens, yellows, and browns on the one hand and the blue of the all-encompassing sky on the other. A contrast that is intensified by the reflection in the water.
The evening coming to rest of the landscape is thus at the same time an all-encompassing contrasting and yet in itself harmonious movement. This reality becomes accessible to us as an experience in the impression of the landscape.
About the artist
Jan Hillebrand Wijsmuller entered the Royal Academy of Arts in Amsterdam in 1876 and studied under the innovative Professor August Allebé, who was famous for the Amsterdam Impressionism, also known as the Allebé School.
In 1877, Wijsmuller transferred to the Hague Academy of Art, and thus to the Hague School, and then completed his studies at the Brussels Academy of Art. Returning to the Netherlands, Wijsmuller opened his own studio in Amsterdam.
In 1883 he won the prestigious Young Artist Award, donated by Willink van Collen, which made Wijsmuller a well-known and sought-after artist.
Wijsmuller was a member of the Societät Arti et Amicitiae Amsterdam and the Pulchri Studio in The Hague.
Wijsmuller belongs to the second generation of the Hague School. While Vincent van Gogh described the protagonists of the first generation to his brother Theo as "the great gray people," the second generation, and Wijsmuller in particular, used a much more colorful palette. His oeuvre makes him a major player in Dutch Impressionism...
Category
1890s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Lying Boy / - Fragile childlikeness -
Located in Berlin, DE
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.
- smal...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Black form surfaces on red painterly ground / - The Double Origin of Painting -
Located in Berlin, DE
Jürgen Möbius (*1939 Großenhain), Black form surfaces on red painterly ground. Oil on hardboard, 50 x 60 cm, 51 x 61 cm (frame), signed "Möbius" and dated "[19]81".
- Small paint chip in upper right corner, otherwise good condition. Gallery frame with slight signs of wear.
- The Double Origin of Painting -
About the artwork
In the painting black, optically dominant forms can be seen, which in their arrangement at right angles to each other have a proto-architectural character. They are, so to speak, always already given original forms. At the same time, however, the forms are surfaces of color, and thus genuine painting. In order to make the painterly character of the painting clearly visible, Jürgen Möbius has applied red-toned strokes that have preserved the brushstroke. These are traces of an act of painting.
The diagonal layers of red strokes merge into the upper white area, which oscillates between brushwork and homogeneous flatness, while the central white field, into which a black bar protrudes, has a decidedly planar character.
The sharp contrast between the autonomous black surface forms, reminiscent of Kasimir Malevich, and the free brushstroke, which is not bound to any motif, creates an enormous pictorial tension, which is conveyed by the white, but at the same time is intensified by the virulent black-and-white contrast.
In addition to the tense contrast of form and color, there is also a contrast between the dynamic of the brushstroke and the static of the black surface forms, whereby the diagonal alignment of these forms also gives the static a dynamic, while at the same time the layered brushstrokes have something static about them.
Added to this structure of tension is the fact that the painting ground, the unprepared hardboard, is clearly present as such in the picture. In this way, it becomes clear once again that we are not dealing with an autonomous cosmos of form and color, as in Suprematism, but with a painting created by the artist's hand.
With this work, Jürgen Möbius explores the possibilities of painting and thematizes painting in terms of its twofold origin, the trace of the guided brush and the painterly form, which gains its independence precisely by absorbing the brushstroke into itself.
About the artist
From 1959 to 1965 Jürgen Möbius studied painting at the University Institute for Art and Work Education in Mainz. He also studied philosophy and art history at the University of Mainz. Afterwards he worked as a freelance artist in Mainz.
At first, Möbius created material reliefs and installations, then, around 1974, he turned increasingly to conceptual art and added cinematic means. During this phase he wrote the manifesto-like essay "Principles of Supranatural Landscape" (1979).
From 1981 on, Möbius concentrated on painting and searched for artistic ways to "treat intellectual and sensual perception equally in the fusion of representational and abstract pictorial elements" (Wolfgang Zemter). He found inspiration on his study trips to Thailand and Sri Lanka.
"The pure painting of Jürgen Möbius flows through us as a timeless expression of memory and energy, ploughing our perception and bringing us the happiness of seeing authentic, immovable form.
- Philippe Büttner
Selection of solo exhibitions
1969 Galerie Würzner, Düsseldorf / Galerie Gurlitt, Mainz
1972 Städtische Galerie, Mainz
1973 Galerie Schloss Ringenberg Rathaus, Kleve
1974 Röderhausmuseum, Wuppertal
1976 Galerie Glasing, Osnabrück / Städtische Galerie, Herne
1977, 1997, 2004 Märkisches Museum, Witten
1979 Studio M, Bamberg / Staatstheater, Darmstadt
1980 Galerie Stolànovà, Wiesbaden / Mittelrheinmuseum, Koblenz
1982 Galerie Dornhöfer, Mainz
1984 Galerie Neumühle, Schlangenbad
1985 Landesmuseum, Mainz / Kunstverein, Ludwigshafen / Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden
1986 Museum, Bochum / Galerie der Stadt Iserlohn
1987, 1990 Galerie Klaus Kiefer, Essen
1987, 2000 Galerie Ulrike Buschlinger, Wiesbaden
1988 Kunsthalle Darmstadt
1988, 1992, 1996, 1999 Galerie Leonhard, Basel
1992, 2002 Galerie Zulauf, Freisheim
1994 Galerie Remy, Vallendar
1995 Sendezentrum des Zweiten Deutschen Fernsehens, Mainz
2001 Collegium oecumenicum, Bamberg / MVB Forum für Kultur und Wirtschaft, Mainz
2006 Adam Gallery, London
Selection of group exhibitions
1969 ‘International Graphic Arts’, Galerie Dalléas Bordeaux, Paris
1975 ‘Deutscher Künstler-Bund’, Dortmund
1979 ‘Man and man’s Images’, Märkisches Museum Witten
1980 ‘Love-Dokuments of our Time’, Art Hall Darmstadt and Art Association Hannover
1982 ‘Work - Progress – Position’, Nassau Art Association Wiesbaden
1983 ‘Principle Hope – Utopic Aspects in Art and Culture of the 20th Century’, Museum Bochum
1986 ‘Selfportraits’, Gallery Klaus Kiefer Essen
1987 ‘The Dying and Death’, Gallery Klaus Kiefer Essen
1989 ‘Where are You, Revolution – Freedom, Liberty, Egality, Fraternity to-day’, Museum Bochum 1990 ‘Flight – a Problem within the Memory of Man’, Kunsthalle Darmstadt ‘Art and War 1939 – 89’, House of Cultures Berlin
1991 ‘Material and Form’, Pillnitz Castle Dresden and Pfalz Gallery Kaiserslautern
1995 20 Years Exhibitions, Chrämerhuus Langenthal, Schweiz
1998 ‘Works on Paper’, Klaus Kiefer Gallery Essen
2000 ‘Acquisitions 1900 – 2000’, Mittelrhein-Museum Koblenz
2001 ‘Strange Pictures’, Klaus Kiefer Gallery Essen
2002 ‘10 Years Buschlinger Gallery’, Buschlinger Gallery Wiesbaden
2004 ‘Eternal Space – Pictures and Sculptures’, Dome of Bamberg
2005 Art Fair Chicago, Adam Gallery, London
Selected Bibliography
Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius - Neue Bilder, Mainz 1985.
Kunstverein Darmstadt (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius. Bilder 1985 - 1988. Kunsthalle Darmstadt, 26. Juni - 14. August 1988. Red. Dorit Marhenke, Lyrik Marcus Schiltenwolf, Düsseldorf 1988.
Gabriele Prusko (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius. Mit Texten von Philippe Büttner und Ralph Mieritz, Basel 1992.
Wolfgang Zemter (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius - Aktuelle Arbeiten. Märkisches Museum der Stadt Witten, Bönen 1999.
Wolfgang Zemter (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius. Flieger in meinem Zimmer und Beruhigte Zone, Bönen 2004.
Dama Gallery...
Category
1980s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Tectonic Tension / - Archetypes of Painting -
Located in Berlin, DE
Jürgen Möbius (*1939 Großenhain), Tectonic Tension. Oil on hardboard, 47.5 x 60 cm, 49 x 61.5 cm (frame), signed lower right "Möbius" and dated "[19]81".
- Upper left corner with a small chip, light scratches and a little rubbed in places. Provisional gallery frame with traces of use.
- Archetypes of Painting -
About the artwork
The form structure in front of the eye is overlapped by the frame. Thus, the frame does not open up a space in which something is presented, but rather shows the seemingly arbitrary section of a comprehensive context that cannot be framed as such.
We see forms that stand in a structure of tension with each other, whereby the individual black and brown forms, which continue almost endlessly beyond the frame, already show a tension in themselves, since they are not only forms, but also surfaces - form surfaces, while the light blue surface ground is at the same time forms that appear as surface forms. The formed surfaces and surface forms are nested within each other and form a structure that encompasses all elements.
The angular arrangement of the black and brown shaped surfaces gives the structure a tectonic character. The tension is thus heightened to the point of paradox, since the black shape at the front is overlapped by the brown shape at the bottom in the center of the picture, which would be impossible in real space. It is precisely through this "paradox" that Möbius demonstrates that the paradoxical is reality within painting. It is, so to speak, the most original possibility of painting, which distinguishes it from the other arts. In combination with the tectonic formations, Jürgen Möbius creates an archaic primordial painting, which, however, should not be confused with the autonomous color and form cosmos of Suprematism à la Kasimir Malevich. Instead of homogeneous, perfectly colored forms, here the colors are deliberately applied unevenly, and the light blue is mixed with the brown in a manner determined by the brushstroke. At the edges of the surface forms, the uneven application of paint allows the wood of the unprimed hardboard to show through. In this way, Möbius illustrates that we are dealing with a painting that has been created by an act of painting - an act, however, that takes hold of the original principles of painting and thus realizes painting as such.
About the artist
From 1959 to 1965 Jürgen Möbius studied painting at the University Institute for Art and Work Education in Mainz. He also studied philosophy and art history at the University of Mainz. Afterwards he worked as a freelance artist in Mainz.
At first, Möbius created material reliefs and installations, then, around 1974, he turned increasingly to conceptual art and added cinematic means. During this phase he wrote the manifesto-like essay "Principles of Supranatural Landscape" (1979).
From 1981 on, Möbius concentrated on painting and searched for artistic ways to "treat intellectual and sensual perception equally in the fusion of representational and abstract pictorial elements" (Wolfgang Zemter). He found inspiration on his study trips to Thailand and Sri Lanka.
"The pure painting of Jürgen Möbius flows through us as a timeless expression of memory and energy, ploughing our perception and bringing us the happiness of seeing authentic, immovable form.
- Philippe Büttner
Selection of solo exhibitions
1969 Galerie Würzner, Düsseldorf / Galerie Gurlitt, Mainz
1972 Städtische Galerie, Mainz
1973 Galerie Schloss Ringenberg Rathaus, Kleve
1974 Röderhausmuseum, Wuppertal
1976 Galerie Glasing, Osnabrück / Städtische Galerie, Herne
1977, 1997, 2004 Märkisches Museum, Witten
1979 Studio M, Bamberg / Staatstheater, Darmstadt
1980 Galerie Stolànovà, Wiesbaden / Mittelrheinmuseum, Koblenz
1982 Galerie Dornhöfer, Mainz
1984 Galerie Neumühle, Schlangenbad
1985 Landesmuseum, Mainz / Kunstverein, Ludwigshafen / Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden
1986 Museum, Bochum / Galerie der Stadt Iserlohn
1987, 1990 Galerie Klaus Kiefer, Essen
1987, 2000 Galerie Ulrike Buschlinger, Wiesbaden
1988 Kunsthalle Darmstadt
1988, 1992, 1996, 1999 Galerie Leonhard, Basel
1992, 2002 Galerie Zulauf, Freisheim
1994 Galerie Remy, Vallendar
1995 Sendezentrum des Zweiten Deutschen Fernsehens, Mainz
2001 Collegium oecumenicum, Bamberg / MVB Forum für Kultur und Wirtschaft, Mainz
2006 Adam Gallery, London
Selection of group exhibitions
1969 ‘International Graphic Arts’, Galerie Dalléas Bordeaux, Paris
1975 ‘Deutscher Künstler-Bund’, Dortmund
1979 ‘Man and man’s Images’, Märkisches Museum Witten
1980 ‘Love-Dokuments of our Time’, Art Hall Darmstadt and Art Association Hannover
1982 ‘Work - Progress – Position’, Nassau Art Association Wiesbaden
1983 ‘Principle Hope – Utopic Aspects in Art and Culture of the 20th Century’, Museum Bochum
1986 ‘Selfportraits’, Gallery Klaus Kiefer Essen
1987 ‘The Dying and Death’, Gallery Klaus Kiefer Essen
1989 ‘Where are You, Revolution – Freedom, Liberty, Egality, Fraternity to-day’, Museum Bochum 1990 ‘Flight – a Problem within the Memory of Man’, Kunsthalle Darmstadt ‘Art and War 1939 – 89’, House of Cultures Berlin
1991 ‘Material and Form’, Pillnitz Castle Dresden and Pfalz Gallery Kaiserslautern
1995 20 Years Exhibitions, Chrämerhuus Langenthal, Schweiz
1998 ‘Works on Paper’, Klaus Kiefer Gallery Essen
2000 ‘Acquisitions 1900 – 2000’, Mittelrhein-Museum Koblenz
2001 ‘Strange Pictures’, Klaus Kiefer Gallery Essen
2002 ‘10 Years Buschlinger Gallery’, Buschlinger Gallery Wiesbaden
2004 ‘Eternal Space – Pictures and Sculptures’, Dome of Bamberg
2005 Art Fair Chicago, Adam Gallery, London
Selected Bibliography
Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius - Neue Bilder, Mainz 1985.
Kunstverein Darmstadt (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius. Bilder 1985 - 1988. Kunsthalle Darmstadt, 26. Juni - 14. August 1988. Red. Dorit Marhenke, Lyrik Marcus Schiltenwolf, Düsseldorf 1988.
Gabriele Prusko (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius. Mit Texten von Philippe Büttner und Ralph Mieritz, Basel 1992.
Wolfgang Zemter (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius - Aktuelle Arbeiten. Märkisches Museum der Stadt Witten, Bönen 1999.
Wolfgang Zemter (Hrsg.): Jürgen Möbius. Flieger in meinem Zimmer und Beruhigte Zone, Bönen 2004.
Dama Gallery...
Category
1980s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Eccentric discharges of a turquoise-yellow core / - Energetic traces -
Located in Berlin, DE
Klaus Oldenburg (*1942 Berlin), Eccentric discharges of a turquoise-yellow core, around 1975. paint and cast resin on chipboard, 39 x 59 cm (inside dim...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Resin