Joachim Karsch (1897-1945) - the other German sculpture
There's the German classicism of Adolph Von Hildebrand (and his better known protege, Georg Kolbe) -- but then there's the expressionism of Lehmbruch -- and the newly discovered (for me) Joachim Karsch.
When classicism goes bad -- it's stiff and boring -- but when expressionism goes bad, it's really bad -- it's creepy/ugly. So I think there's more of a risk involved -- and when successfull -- more of a thrill.
And I'm thrilled by Joachim Karsch ! Thanks, mostly, to his octagenarian son, Florian, who has a gallery that specializes in German expressionism - and who has photographed and catalogued his father's work. (Here's his website.)
I don't know if the above is supposed to be an Adam & Eve -- but that's how it works for me -- where the beauty of the their presence is not the beauty of a god or godess.
This is the kind of figure I'm always doing - and it's so nice to see a figure so alive -- in the moment.
This is the piece that first caught my attention -- pulled out of a book sometime last year -- and a bit more somber and medieval
This one has an interesting story: it's a portrait of the lecturer/novelist John Cowper Powys -- who seems to have been a kind of eccentric stoic-taoist Thoreau type whose writing greatly appealed to the sculptor -- who began a correspondance with him and did this portrait from photographs and imagination.
And this might be the place to note that most of Karsch's sculpture and writing was lost - along with his life -- following the Russian invasion that engulfed eastern Germany at the end of the war.
Something about the big sad head and the angular, stylized body really appeals to me -- I guess I'm just a Northern-European guy.
Something else to think about -- it doesn't look like Karsch was a modern art-star or making either public monuments or art-deco collectibles -- so I'm wondering just how much of an income he had from sculpture. Perhaps a family fortune made him financially independant.
This is an exciting period of my life -- every week I discover another sculptor that I really like. How many more are left to be discovered -- and how many more weeks have I got left?
posted by chris miller at 7:30 AM
5 Comments:
Well, the excitement is really catchy. How do you discover all these guys? This guy is amazing -- i think of all the sculpture on your site, i like this the best. How beautiful.
I wouldn't have guessed that Sir G., or anyone else for that matter, would find this sculpture so attractive. The most popular German sculptor from period --at least on the internet - is Arnold Breker.
But since you do like him -- what do you think of my favorite Austrian,
Anton Hanak ? Hopefully, someday, someone will post fresh photos of his work to replace the grainy photos I scanned from dusty old books.
Hm... I'm with Shilgia here... But I need more than a cursory look to give you a considered opinin, I'll be back in a day or two to give you the fruits of my mind in this matter...
PS This is all pretty new to me (except the Chola bronzes and classicla greek stuff I am in idiot in sculpture).
Where can i see more of Arnold Breker?
Arno Breker can be found here
I like Hanak's figures because they feel like people who are just a bit puzzled / uncomfortable with their big bodies and life on this planet. The statues aren't awkward -- but the people are -- so I think it goes right along with the Vienna of Sigmund Freud. A tribute to the difficulty of being human.
I don't like Arno Breker's males because they feel like steroid crazed adolescents who have grown big bodies but little minds -- and are likely to be found in bath houses slapping towels at each others behinds. They've never matured into adult self awareness -- what they see is what there is -- the perfect devotional statuary for Ayn Rand objectivists. And I don't like his female figures because they seem empty -- souless -- sexless.
But they do seem so immersed in the one of the great human tragedies -- I would travel some distance to see an exhibit of them.
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