Ulrich Elsener

Figuren am Kreis No. 3

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About this artwork

Elsener, commenting on this suite of works, said: “While I worked on this group of drawings, of human figures drawn together in a mass, I read the book ‘Masse und Macht’ [Crowds and Power] (1960) by Elias Canetti. Canetti nicely describes the circle as a geometrical place of power. In the arena, the stadium, the amphitheatre, the mass can arise and the individual gets lost. The ambiguity of the masses, which can break up peacefully, or can be manipulated and become aggressive, are the themes of these works. These works express the strong feeling that civilization cannot hide the irrational side of human beings.”

Updated before 2020

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