Sculpture "Mother with Child" (1907), bronze version
Sculpture "Mother with Child" (1907), bronze version
Quick info
bronze | patinated | polished | size 25.5 x 26 x 22 cm (w/h/d) | weight approx. 8.4 kg
Detailed description
Sculpture "Mother with Child" (1907), bronze version
The theme of "Mother and Child" occupied Lehmbruck throughout his whole life. The 1907 version is a central work of his first Paris exhibition. It shows the mother as a happy, loving woman and is still clearly indebted to classical sculpture. Lehmbruck's outstanding sense of size and proportion already heralds the sculptural condensation of later works. Lehmbruck created the sculpture after his first trip to Italy, and its Pietà gesture was probably inspired by the Old Masters admired there.
Sculptor's model after the original, size 25.5 x 26 x 22 cm (w/h/d). Edition in fine bronze. Cast using the Lost-Wax-Process, patinated and polished by hand. Weight approx. 8.4 kg.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
About Wilhelm Lehmbruck
1881-1919
Together with Ernst Barlach and Käthe Kollwitz, Wilhelm Lehmbruck is one of the most important German sculptors of the early 20th century.
Fortunate circumstances led the son of a miner to an arts and crafts school and finally to the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 1901, where he became a master-class student of Karl Janssen.
In 1904, the first major Rodin exhibition in Germany left a lasting impression on the student. His artistic environment had a decisive influence on Lehmbruck's development. In Paris in 1910, he met Matisse, Archipenko, Brancusi and Modigliani, who encouraged his path towards expressionist sculpture.
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.
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.
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.