Sculpture "Reading Monks III" (1932), reduction in bronze
Sculpture "Reading Monks III" (1932), reduction in bronze
Quick info
ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 980 copies | numbered | signature | foundry hallmark | certificate | bronze | chased | polished | patinated | reduction | size 22 x 16.5 x 14 cm (h/w/d) | weight 4.2 kg
Video
Detailed description
Sculpture "Reading Monks III" (1932), reduction in bronze
Barlach was one of the leading representatives of German Expressionism and is famous for his wood and bronze sculptures. He had already been working on the motif of the reading monks in 1921. In this bronze work of 1932, for which there was a wooden version, he intensifies the expressiveness of the linear folds of the robe through reduction and thus, merges the block of the seated monks.
He was inspired by 14th-century art in Florence and by the sculptures and paintings of the master Bertram (1345-1415). Bertram created the Grabow Altarpiece in 1379, which is now exhibited in Hamburg Kunsthalle and displays the primitive gift of narration. Barlach's avant-garde vision sought to recapture this fundamental power. The wooden version was declared as Degenerate Art" by the Nazis in 1937 in an exhibition in Munich. But Barlach's work survived and was recognised and represented worldwide in the most important collections.
Sculpture "Reading Monks III":
Driven by compassion and social commitment, Barlach's creative power results in concentration and internalisation. The joint-like treatment of the surfaces, in combination with the curves of the folds, is like inhaling and exhaling - a vital cohesion.
The circle that starts at the head of the left monk, continues over shoulder and arm to the open book, and is passed on to the arm of the right monk and closes at the shoulder and the head tilt. This circle is where the communication between the two individuals and the book lives. They have read and understood. In the silence outside the fleeting process of life, they have found peace.
We recognise the fine nuances of designed balance in the folded hands of the monk on the right, hovering like a symbol in front of two folds of his rope. Barlach's work becomes a mouth of truth.
"I commend this work as a significant contemporary document before which we can become reverent. Its great potentials today are to point away from the fashionable and trivial sensations of everyday life, a way to discover the essence of what it means to be a human being: To ask questions, discern, conclude to find oneself. The Reading Monks III set an example. They illustrate the address and consolation that comes from books. Joy and depth in understanding the world can rise from a poem, as from this sculpture. Through his forms, Barlach gives us a part of the endless coherence of creation, requirements that we need to approach the meaning of life. That is the religious aspect of his art, love." (Dr Friedhelm Häring, former museum director and curator)
Sculpture in fine bronze, cast using the Lost-Wax-Process and chiselled, polished and patinated by hand. Directly moulded 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. ars mundi Exclusive Edition. With numbered certificate of authenticity and limitation. Size 22 x 16.5 x 14 cm (h/w/d), weight 4.2 kg.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
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.
Graphic or sculpture edition that was initiated by ars mundi and is available only at ars mundi or at distribution partners licensed by ars mundi.
> All ars mundi Exclusive Editions
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.