Ernst Barlach
The Flame
Artista
Ernst Barlach
1870 Wedel - Rostock 1938
Ulteriori informazioni
Laur 556.
Provenienza
Ernst Barlach Licence Administration, Ratzeburg;
Private collection, Germany.
Private collection, Germany.
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Descrizione
• A central, iconic figure in Barlach’s oeuvre, expressing inner contemplation and transcendence
• The formal language of the late 1920s, with elongated proportions and a block-like solidity
• Cast by H. Noack, Berlin, one of the leading art foundries of the 20th century
In 1934, the working model was created in plaster, which Barlach gave to his friend, the collector Hermann F. Reemtsma, Hamburg. The artist left behind a large part of his oeuvre in the form of fragile working models in clay and plaster. Although Barlach became famous primarily as a wood sculptor, most of his works were not created in wood but in these malleable yet short-lived materials. ‘The Flame’ too was initially produced as a three-dimensional plaster figure (Laur 555), after which the artist carved the version in oak (Laur 557). Barlach first rendered the motif of ‘The Flame’ in several charcoal drawings in 1927 (cf. Schult, Drawings 1889, 1890, 1892). In terms of design, it should be viewed in the context of the figures from the ‘Frieze of the Listeners’ and the ‘Community of Saints’, whose slender, statuesque forms evoke the Romanesque portal sculpture. The unique posthumous edition of 12 numbered casts was produced in 1979; no bronzes were cast during Barlach’s lifetime.
• The formal language of the late 1920s, with elongated proportions and a block-like solidity
• Cast by H. Noack, Berlin, one of the leading art foundries of the 20th century
In 1934, the working model was created in plaster, which Barlach gave to his friend, the collector Hermann F. Reemtsma, Hamburg. The artist left behind a large part of his oeuvre in the form of fragile working models in clay and plaster. Although Barlach became famous primarily as a wood sculptor, most of his works were not created in wood but in these malleable yet short-lived materials. ‘The Flame’ too was initially produced as a three-dimensional plaster figure (Laur 555), after which the artist carved the version in oak (Laur 557). Barlach first rendered the motif of ‘The Flame’ in several charcoal drawings in 1927 (cf. Schult, Drawings 1889, 1890, 1892). In terms of design, it should be viewed in the context of the figures from the ‘Frieze of the Listeners’ and the ‘Community of Saints’, whose slender, statuesque forms evoke the Romanesque portal sculpture. The unique posthumous edition of 12 numbered casts was produced in 1979; no bronzes were cast during Barlach’s lifetime.