Sculpture "Prophet" (1914), bronze
Sculpture "Prophet" (1914), bronze
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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 980 copies | numbered | signature | foundry mark | certificate | bronze | chiselled | patinated | original size | size 30 x 6 x 5 cm (h/w/d) | weight approx. 1 kg
Detailed description
Sculpture "Prophet" (1914), bronze
Together with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, we were able to realise Emil Nolde's work "Prophet", a bronze edition of his original-sized woodcarving.
"Emil Nolde began his artistic journey as a trained wood sculptor and furniture carver. During his trip to the South Seas in 1913/14, he returned to carving techniques, creating a small series of sculptures demonstrating his familiar handling of wood through their elegance. In 1921, Max Sauerlandt described the sculptures as ‘all possessing a wood-like solidity of form and restrained movement. In a new way, under the stimulus of the noble material, the desire to carve from his early years of learning was suddenly awakened once again.
Nolde's ‘Prophet’, also initially referred to as a Priest, is one of the works dedicated to religious and biblical themes. These play a special role in Emil Nolde's oeuvre, ranking among the highlights of his life's work and still regarded today as masterpieces. In his depictions, Nolde does not adhere strictly to the Bible but rather conveys experiences he describes as deeply rooted, safeguarded, and ‘glowing inwardly‘. 'I had to be artistically free, not perceiving God before me as a steel-hard Assyrian ruler, but God within me, fervent and holy like the love of Christ.
I am delighted that the excellent reproduction of the sculpture ‘Prophet’ now brings another facet of Nolde's sculptures to the attention of a select audience." (Dr Christian Ring, Director of the Nolde Foundation in Seebüll)
Fine bronze sculpture, cast by hand using the Lost-Wax-Process, chiselled and patinated. Moulded directly from the original and reproduced in the original size. Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered. The pedestal (made of bronze) bears Nolde's signature and the foundry mark. ars mundi Exclusive Edition, published in collaboration with the Nolde Foundation Seebüll. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 30 x 6 x 5 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 1 kg. © 2024 Nolde Foundation Seebüll
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
About Emil Nolde
1867-1956 - German Expressionist
Emil Nolde was born as Hans Emil Hansen and named himself after his birthplace in 1902. Nolde is considered one of the most important German Expressionists. When he was rejected by the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, he moved to Paris to study at the Académie Julien. Starting in 1905 he lived and worked on the Danish island of Alsen and in Berlin and was a member of the revolutionary expressionist group "Die Brücke" (The Bridge) for a short time and of the Berlin Secession.
Shortly after Nolde left the artists' association "Die Brücke" at the end of 1907, he met the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch in Berlin, whose work impressed him greatly. During the visit of his friend Hans Fehr in 1908, he began to discover the technique of watercolour painting and finally how to realise it with virtuosity.
Today, Nolde's oeuvre includes numerous watercolour works, oil paintings, graphic works and several sculptures. His intensive use of colour is characteristic. Although the artist always remained figurative in his motifs (e.g. landscapes, flowers, city scenes, religious motifs), he "composed" his pictures entirely from colour. When Nolde moved into his brick house "Seebüll" in Neukirchen in northern Germany in 1927, he surrounded it with a large garden that offered him motifs in abundance.
Research had long noted that Nolde's position on National Socialism was problematic. His exclusion from the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts was associated with a ban on exhibitions, sales and publications. Nolde repeatedly sought rehabilitation and recognition as a state artist. However, he was denied this right up until the end. His painting was simply not formally compatible with the ideas of the Nazis.
At the opening of the infamous exhibition "Degenerate Art", 48 of his works were shown, and more than 1000 works were confiscated. However, due to his contacts, Nolde was able to retrieve a large part of these works.
Despite his active adherence to the system, he was banned from working from 1941 on. However, his ban didn't include a general ban on painting, as was often reported later. During the war, he produced more than 1000 of the so-called "unpainted pictures" in the privacy of his home. The term originally referred to the function of these small-format watercolours as studies and preliminary sketches that were not turned into large paintings. After 1945, these undoubtedly artistically charming pieces and their naming contributed to the mystification of Nolde as a persecuted artist.
Despite the contradictory ideological positions of Nolde as a person, the artistic value of his work remains undisputed to this day. The way Nolde manages to let the colour of an oil painting or aquarelle glow from within is unrivalled.
Works by Emil Nolde can be found in the collections of high-ranking museums worldwide, including the Art Institute in Chicago, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Brücke Museum in Berlin, the Albertina in Vienna and the Kunstmuseum in Basel, etc. Moreover, foundations have been established in his honour in Seebüll and Berlin.
An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times. It is an ideal metal for high-quality artistic castings, capable of enduring for millennia.
When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. This is the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.
First, the artist forms a model of their work. This model is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out, leaving a negative mould. Liquid wax is then poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, where the wax melts away (lost mould).
Finally, the negative mould is ready, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken apart, reavoling the sculpture.
Next, the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist or by a specialist, following their instructions. Thus, each casting is an original work.
For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used, which, however, does not achieve the results of a more elaborate lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.
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Artistic movement that replaced Impressionism in the early 20th century.
Expressionism is the German form of the art revolution in painting, graphic art and sculpture, with its precursors found in the works of Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin at the end of the 19th century. The expressionists sought to reach the fundamental elements of painting. Using vibrant, unbroken colours in large areas, emphasising lines, and aiming for suggestive expressiveness, they fought against the artistic taste established by the bourgeoisie.
The most important representatives of Expressionism were the founders of "Die Brücke": Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Max Pechstein, Otto Mueller and Franz Marc, August Macke and others.
Masters of Viennese Expressionism are Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. Among sculptors, Ernst Barlach is the most famous.
Fauvism is the French form of Expressionism.
Term for an art object (sculpture, installation) that, according to the artist’s intention, is produced in multiple copies within a limited and numbered edition.
Multiples enable the "democratization" of art by making the work accessible and affordable for a wider audience.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures made of wood, ivory, or stone are carved directly from the material block, in bronze casting, a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.