Joseph Beuys

Roses

About this artwork

The overall theme of this work seems particularly female, from the title to the two representations of a female figure. On the right is an upright, curvy figure, while a female torso and legs can be seen diagonally across the image. Beuys's inclusion of colour in his work is both deliberate and meaningful, as he used colour as a 'substance' in the same way as he incorporated unusual materials into his paintings. As much of his work used neutral colours like greys and browns, colour becomes all the more obvious. Here, he has included pink dots at the feet of the female figure, presumably the 'Roses' of the title.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Joseph Beuys (1921 - 1986) German
  • title:
    Roses
  • date created:
    1952
  • materials:
    Graphite and watercolour on paper
  • measurements:
    20.90 x 25.40 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
  • accession number:
    AR00097
  • gallery:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
This artwork is part of Artist Rooms
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Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys