Ernst Barlach was born into the family of a provincial doctor. His father soon died; after that, the family became poor. From childhood, Ernst loved all kinds of creativity.
1870 - 1938
Ernst Barlach
description
A German sculptor, engraver, graphic artist and playwright. The artist that engaged in figurative art is considered a prominent representative of late Expressionism, closely associated with traditional Gothic German Middle Ages.
From the 1910s, Barlach’s work gained a great publicist scope. He constantly appealed to the consciousness of mankind, striving to expose the severity and depth of the problems of modernity. Like Expressionism in general, his art is characterized by high spiritual and ethical ideals.
Bertolt Brecht, who called Barlach one of the greatest sculptors who have ever worked in the country, said about his works, “Beauty without embellishment. Greatness without moralizing. Harmony without gloss. The power of life without cruelty”.
In 1930-1931, to the 60th anniversary of the master, large exhibitions were held in German cities, in Essen, Venice, New York, Zurich, Paris. The fact of such widespread recognition did not stop the Nazis from harassing the artist, who became an “internal emigrant”. He continued to do things that were hated by the authorities and the fundamentalist public.
His plays were banned; his sculptures were removed from public collections and destroyed as “degenerate art”. The press wrote, “we hope that all traces of his terrifying works will be removed”; the sculptor was called only “anti-German” and “semi-idiot”. However, Barlach, having refused membership in the Academy of Arts, decided not to leave the country, upholding the right to free creation.
In the post-war period, Barlach museums were established in both German states in the city of Gustrow (GDR) and Hamburg (Germany). A separate museum building was erected near Gustrow, where about 400 sculptures, about two thousand sketches and manuscripts of the creator are stored. The Ernst Barlach Society still exists.
Key ideas:
– Art historians, comparing the plastic of E. Barlach with the works of the “classical” German expressionists from the Dresden group “Bridge” and the Munich “Blue Horseman”, find that both the creative method and the attitude of this master differ significantly towards greater realism of form and greater spirituality.
– The first series, which made Barlach famous in Germany, reflects following the canons of Art Nouveau – the masses are extremely generalized and fluid, the contours of the figures are smooth. However, works of this cycle, created after the artist’s trip to the Kharkiv region, have a special energy of feelings. This makes them monumental, although their size is several tens of centimeters. Peasants and beggars are depicted relaxed; they do not suffer. In general, these are bright images.
– In the 1910s, the logic of creative development forced Barlach to leave Art Nouveau and choose Expressionism. The problems of the ontological tragedy of life and the romantic existence of German antiquity (at that time Barlach traveled a lot around Germany) is the basis of his new art associated with Middle Ages.
– Gothic (experts agree with this Barlach’s determination) expressionism leads the sculptor’s manner to express the great dynamics of figures, affect in facial expressions. He fixed movements not just at their highest points, but at the most extreme. The folds of clothes and the design of the arms and legs are sharp and brittle. These features intensified after elderly Barlach, succumbing to universal patriotic excitement, enlisted in the infantry as a volunteer. After several months of serving in the army, he hated all the violence that “state patriotism” most often leads to.
1870
1891
1895
1906
1907
1909
1910
1915
1917
1924
1930
1937
1938
Ernst Barlach was born into the family of a provincial doctor
He entered the Academy of Arts of Dresden
After graduating from the Hamburg School of Industrial Art, he entered the Academy of Arts of Dresden, studied at the workshop of famous Robert Dietz.
He studied at the private academy of Julien in Paris
During the year, he studied at the private academy of Julien in Paris. Returning to his homeland, he settled in Hamburg, began to work as an illustrator, taught ceramics. His early unremarkable sculptures were close to art nouveau.
He went on a trip to the south of the Russian Empire
At the invitation of his brother, who temporarily worked in Kharkov, he went on a trip to the south of the Russian Empire (he visited Kharkiv, Konstiantinivka, Belgorod, Bakhmut). The result was a series of small works on “Russian” topics, which brought the artist recognition and first fame.
He became a member of the influential association of artists “Berlin Secession”
He became a member of the influential association of artists “Berlin Secession”, collaborated with the magazine “Simplicissimus”. He wrote in this and the following years plays that for two decades were successfully shown on stages throughout Germany.
He worked in Florence
He worked in Florence for almost a year; there he went “for the classics”. Later he turned to the gothic art of his country, which had a decisive influence on the style of mature works of the master.
Settled in Gustrow
Settled in Gustrow, where he lived the rest of his life quite solitary. He made long trips to the old German cities, where temples with “truly Gothic” sculptures were preserved.
The middle-aged artist went to war
Having patriotic feelings, the middle-aged artist went to war and served in the infantry; he returned from the front as a staunch pacifist. The theme of death and suffering became one of the central for him.
The solo exhibition
A solo exhibition of Barlach was held at the Casirera Gallery; it brought him fame. Two years later, he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts.
Received the prestigious Kleist Prize
Received the prestigious Kleist Prize, was admitted to the Munich Academy of Art. The series of his prints “Poor Relative” was shown at the First General German Art Exhibition in Moscow. A year earlier, he illustrated Goethe’s “Faust”.
The retrospective exhibitions were held in Berlin and Essen, Venice and New York, Zurich and Paris
To the 60th anniversary of the already famous artist, his major retrospective exhibitions were held in Berlin and Essen, Venice and New York, Zurich and Paris. The anti-war orientation of the work was contrary to the militaristic spirit of the “new Germany”. Even the fact that Goebbels liked Barlach’s work (on his desk in his office, there was a statuette “The Man in the Storm” in 1933) did not save the artist from repression.
The sculptor’s works were removed from churches, museums and public galleries
The sculptor’s works were removed from churches, museums and public galleries as “degenerative art”. Together with the works of other avant-garde artists, they were exhibited until 1941 at a special “disgracing” traveling exhibition in 13 German cities. The artist was forced to leave the Prussian Academy, had to secretly work in connection with the ban on creativity. The artist died after he got a third heart attack.
The death of the artist
Ernst Barlach died on October 24 in 1938 in Rostock, Germany.