Event Title
Anselm Kiefer’s Germanic Night Sky
Faculty Mentor
Elissa Auerbach
Keywords
Elissa Auerbach
Abstract
Standing before Anselm Kiefer’s monumental painting, Dragon (Drache), 2001, the viewer becomes immersed in its fifteen-foot-tall square canvas. Dragon depicts an overwhelming nocturnal seascape and vast sky filled with constellations, each labeled with lines and text. The immensity of the composition draws the viewer into the work through its grey monochromatic color scheme, but also in the remote subject matter the viewer almost becomes a part of the painting itself. Although Dragon conjures feelings of isolation, Kiefer appropriates German myths associated with constellations to create a sense of cultural oneness and nationalism. While fictional stories about stars are common in other European literary traditions, the myths in Kiefer’s work are specifically German. Scholars have argued that the sense of loneliness so apparent in Kiefer’s art can be attributed to harsh life in Germany after World War II. In this paper, I will argue that Kiefer’s representation of constellations reinforces also Germanic identities through his references to myths specific to Germany.
Session Name:
Portraying WWII
Start Date
4-4-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
4-4-2014 10:00 AM
Location
HSB 201
Anselm Kiefer’s Germanic Night Sky
HSB 201
Standing before Anselm Kiefer’s monumental painting, Dragon (Drache), 2001, the viewer becomes immersed in its fifteen-foot-tall square canvas. Dragon depicts an overwhelming nocturnal seascape and vast sky filled with constellations, each labeled with lines and text. The immensity of the composition draws the viewer into the work through its grey monochromatic color scheme, but also in the remote subject matter the viewer almost becomes a part of the painting itself. Although Dragon conjures feelings of isolation, Kiefer appropriates German myths associated with constellations to create a sense of cultural oneness and nationalism. While fictional stories about stars are common in other European literary traditions, the myths in Kiefer’s work are specifically German. Scholars have argued that the sense of loneliness so apparent in Kiefer’s art can be attributed to harsh life in Germany after World War II. In this paper, I will argue that Kiefer’s representation of constellations reinforces also Germanic identities through his references to myths specific to Germany.