To me, Grosz has succeeded in capturing the insane and overwhelming city-life of Berlin during World War I. Chaos and energy seem to splash from the canvas. Notice how the people are portrayed in a complete anonymous fashion; no recognizable features, barely visible faces. They seem just as square as the fronts of the buildings they pass. The entire painting is drenched in a bloody red, which gives it a kind of urgency. Georg Grosz (1893-1959) saw himself as a 'political artist', who wanted to exclude every subjectivity from his work. He was one of the few German artists who was opposed to the war from the very beginning, fearing it to be a complete catastrophy for mankind.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Apocalypse now.
Since my days are now entirely dominated by my thesis on German Expressionism, I'd like to share with you (all five of you readers) one of my favourite paintings of all time: Metropolis by Georg Grosz (1917). (Please click on the image to see a bigger and better version.)
To me, Grosz has succeeded in capturing the insane and overwhelming city-life of Berlin during World War I. Chaos and energy seem to splash from the canvas. Notice how the people are portrayed in a complete anonymous fashion; no recognizable features, barely visible faces. They seem just as square as the fronts of the buildings they pass. The entire painting is drenched in a bloody red, which gives it a kind of urgency. Georg Grosz (1893-1959) saw himself as a 'political artist', who wanted to exclude every subjectivity from his work. He was one of the few German artists who was opposed to the war from the very beginning, fearing it to be a complete catastrophy for mankind.
To me, Grosz has succeeded in capturing the insane and overwhelming city-life of Berlin during World War I. Chaos and energy seem to splash from the canvas. Notice how the people are portrayed in a complete anonymous fashion; no recognizable features, barely visible faces. They seem just as square as the fronts of the buildings they pass. The entire painting is drenched in a bloody red, which gives it a kind of urgency. Georg Grosz (1893-1959) saw himself as a 'political artist', who wanted to exclude every subjectivity from his work. He was one of the few German artists who was opposed to the war from the very beginning, fearing it to be a complete catastrophy for mankind.
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