Anselm Kiefer
Dr. Eric Smith
Isabella Branham
Introduction
Anselm
Kiefer is a German artist known for various works with various medias. Kiefer’s
works include paintings, sculptures, photography, installation art, and film. He
is known for his strikingly bold, even sometimes unsettling works which often
portray post-war Germany. There is a certain degree of edginess hidden in
Kiefer’s art that other works simply do not have. Each piece tells a story in
some way or has a specific, obvious meaning.
Background
Kiefer
belonged to a generation that was born during the final stage of WWII. For this
reason, he only heard the talk of the war; he never actually experienced the
war although he likely developed had a hefty knowledge of its history. This
inspired much of his most famous work and many of the general topics of his
art. Although Kiefer would not be considered a historical painter, he focuses heavily
on Germany’s past throughout his work. Kiefer quickly developed a passion for
painting landscapes and began some of his most famous works. Many of his
paintings are explicit displays of the brutality of Germany’s history,
depicting things like German battlefields or concentration camps of the
post-war period. For this reason, many German citizens do not favor Kiefer or
his work. They found this offensive and bold, because it emphasized
controversial topics that were recurrently avoided in conversation. (“Anselm
Kiefer”)
Noted
for his use of original materials, Kiefer was one of the first to use things
like straw and glass. He was very partial to the use of natural materials
because of the qualities it held regarding the making of art. Soon after this,
Kiefer began to gain international acknowledgement for his work. This is
partially due to his belonging to the Neo-Expressionist movement that swept the
globe during this period (“Anselm Kiefer”).
Kiefer
is also noted for his work in filmmaking. Many of his films could be considered
more poetic than entertaining. One review speaks of the very set up of his work
in a theatrical sense and maintains that the characters are “acting out memory”
depicting events of the past. (Brailovsky, 138).
History
and Art
Kiefer
is noted for his manipulation of art to tell of the unspoken history of
Germany. He brought out the negative and gruesome side of the nation that none
of its citizens wanted to address. German history is an ideal topic for such
works of art because of its deep roots. This is something that Kiefer used to
his own advantage to manipulate his art into pieces of consideration. His work
is powerful enough to make nearly any observer stop and ponder the underlying
message. These paintings and other works forced people, not only in Germany,
but also around the world to reflect on Germany’s mistakes during the war. (Lay,
2).
Kiefer’s
work could be considered an attempt to obliviate the barrier of censorship that
was highly utilized in conversation about German history. Often when a certain
subject is particularly uncomfortable it becomes censored, accepted for how it
is presented, and then everyone moves on. People do not want to address the
flaws in the history of their ancestors, therefore they trim it down to the
core to simply get the story across and move on. Kiefer challenged this system
in that his art forced many people to stop and consider the wrongs that
constructed the history of Germany, not just the highlights.
Conclusion
To
say in the least, Anselm Kiefer had a very influential past. From an everyday
German family, he developed into a world-famous artist. He is often referred to
as a historical artist because of his reference to German history in much of
his work. Because he brought out the more oppressive side of Germany during
WWII, his work was controversial and provocative. In many ways, he brought
attention to the way that society tends to censor negative factors when it
comes to their ancestors and cast all censorship out the window in his works.
He is also noted for his use of original materials, as this revolutionized art
in many ways. Kiefer was born to be an artist and he utilized that talent to
shake not only Germany, but also the rest of the world.
Works
Cited
“Anselm Kiefer.” The Art
Story Modern Art Insight. http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kieferanselm.htm
(October 31, 2016).
Anna Brailovsky. 2001. “The Epic Tableau:Verfremdungseffekte in Anselm Kiefer’s Varus.” p.115-135. (November
17, 2016).
Paul Lay. November 2014.
“History Today.” From the Editor.
P.2. (November 17, 2016).
