Ernst Barlach
Das schlimme Jahr 1937 [The Terrible Year 1937]1936On Display | GALLERY OF MODERN ART
This sculpture is the only wood carving by Barlach in a public collection in Britain. Although carved in 1936, it was given its allegorical title the following year in response to Hitler's notorious Degenerate 'Art' exhibition, in which Barlach was included. By the summer of 1937, nearly 400 of his works had been confiscated, through government action, from German museums. This work is typical of the figures Barlach sculpted: large, heavily robed figures alone or in pairs, symbolising an aspect of the human condition.
Glossary [2] Show
Degenerate 'Art'
Or Entartete Kunst. Term coined in the 1930s by the Nazis in Germany to ridicule modern art that didn't fit with Hitler's vision. Exhibitions of such works confiscated from German museums were staged and German artists branded with the term were banned from exhibiting their work.
Symbolism
The representation of subjects or ideas by use of a device or motif to create underlying meaning. A literary and artistic movement that originated in France and spread through much of Europe in the late 19th century. There was no consistent style but rather an appeal to the idea of the artist as mystic or visionary and the desire to express a world beyond superficial appearances.
- Accession no. GMA 3036
- Medium Wood (oak)
- Size 142.00 x 31.00 x 28.50 cm
- Credit Purchased with assistance from The Art Fund (William Leng Bequest) 1987
Ernst Barlach (German, 1870 - 1938)
Born near Hamburg, Barlach was a sculptor, printmaker and writer. From around 1896, he worked in an art nouveau style. However, after visiting his brother in Russia in 1906, he was struck by the solid and sturdy figures of the Russian peasants. Inspired by this and by medieval German carving, Barlach developed his own figure style. He made his first wooden sculptures in 1907. Although associated with the expressionist artists, Barlach stands slightly apart from them: he rarely distorted the human body beyond simplifying it.
Glossary [3] Show
Art nouveau
Decorative art style popular in Europe and North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is characterised by flowing lines based on plant forms.
Expressionism
A style that made an impact in the arts in the 1920s, particularly in Germany. Expressionists deliberately abandoned realistic representation techniques in favour of exaggerations and distortions of line and colour that were intended to carry far greater emotional impact.
Medieval
Relating to the Middle Ages, the period in European history from approximately the 6th to the 15th centuries.