Sculpture "Reading Monastery Student" (1930), reduction in bronze
Sculpture "Reading Monastery Student" (1930), reduction in bronze
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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 980 copies | numbered | signature | foundry hallmark | certificate | bronze | chased | polished | patinated | reduction | size 24 x 15,5 x 9 cm (h/w/d) | weight approx. 4 kg
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Sculpture "Reading Monastery Student" (1930), reduction in bronze
"Ernst Barlach executed a quarter of his sculptural work with wood. In 1909 he said: 'Gothic wood sculptures are just revelations for me'. In 1930, Barlach carved his almost life-size 'Monastery Student Reading', 114.8 cm high, from oak wood. The figure, which today belongs to the St. Gertrude's Chapel in Güstrow, is part of a series of works featuring reading monks.
The majestic block of this figure can now also be admired as an ars mundi Exclusive Edition in a small bronze sculpture.
From his trip to Russia in particular, Barlach brought back two basic impressions that are essential to all of his work. The first is the human being, who is fatefully connected to the earth and thus can be considered as a plant of the earth. And then there is the wandering, searching human being, the one who is introverted and listens. With his sculpture, Barlach depicts this transformation from the heaviness of the earth into the spiritual.
It is the possible transformation of every human being, the basic tenor of his impressive work 'Monastery Student Reading'. Here, a young man who receives the best possible training in a monastery school sits with his eyes almost closed because he can only find the answers on the path to the search for meaning within himself. The word he has read has not passed him by. It has drawn itself to him, has entered his body and face as the very meaning of his existence, as that which is solid, that which is unbreakable. The reading monastery student has understood the word of truth in a world-second, the question that will possibly determine his whole life: "Who are you?" (Dr Friedhelm Häring, retired museum director and curator)
Fine bronze sculpture, cast using the Lost-Wax-Process and chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Cast from the original and reduced in size (reduction). Limited edition of 980 copies, individually numbered and with the signature "E. Barlach" taken from the original as well as the foundry hallmark. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 24 x 15,5 x 9 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 4 kg. ars mundi Exclusive Edition.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
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Seit Jahren hoffte ich auf eine Replik des „Klosterschülers“. Jetzt gibt es sie, und sie steht zwischen meinen Büchern. Ich liebe diese Skulptur, seit ich zum ersten Mal Anderschs „Sansibar…“ gelesen habe. Einfach wundervoll.
Eine wunderbare Arbeit. Bin mit dem Kauf sehr zufrieden
About Ernst Barlach
1870-1938, sculptor, writer, and draughtsman
Ernst Barlach was born on January 2, 1870, in Wedel, Germany, and died on October 24, 1938, in Rostock, Germany. He holds an outstandingly special position within German Expressionism. As a graphic artist, draughtsman, writer, and above all, as a sculptor, Barlach created milestones in art history. Barlach's sculptural works of art have a special effect because they seek extreme experience of limits and their representation. They are works of multi-layered meaning with which he foregrounded the essence of the human being and that what stands above the self and the world.
Barlach's intention is rooted deeply, in the inner self. Shaped by war and challenging living conditions, he experiences both suffering and happiness. And always, at the centre of his work, stands the human being: Ecce homo.
"I desire nothing more than to be an artist, as best I can. I believe that what cannot be expressed through the work can pass into the possession of another through forms. My pleasure and creative impulse continually revolve around the problems of the meaning of life and the other great mountains in the spiritual realm." (Ernst Barlach)
In 1925, Ernst Barlach was made an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1933, he was appointed Knight of the Peace Class of the Order "Pour le Mérite". In 1937, the National Socialists removed his works from public collections and spaces, branding them as "degenerate art." On October 24, 1938, Ernst Barlach died in Rostock.
Today, Ernst Barlach's works are an integral part of leading museums and collections, and - if available - fetch record prices at auction.
"The Singing Man" became Ernst Barlach's best-known sculpture, an icon of Modernism. It adorns illustrated books and posters worldwide, and the original edition is a permanent part of the collections of the world's major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
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.