Anselm Kiefer is a German painter/sculptor/photographer who incorporates a lot of different elements (ash, clay, straw) to give different textures to his work.
His work often addresses past hardships, most prominently the Nazi rule just prior to his birth. He attempts to confront this dark past head on, while it is typically an unspoken topic in his native country.
I'm really drawn to how dark and gritty his work is. I've often gone to the VMFA to sit in front of his piece Landscape with Wing just to think/gather inspiration. It is a very large painting (130 x 218 in) which really adds to it's impact.
He is best known for his mixed media paintings, but started out with photography in the late 1960s.
in 2010 there was a documentary about him working in his studio compound in France directed by Sophie Fiennes entitled Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow. The compound itself has become somewhat of an installation. Check out the trailer, and if you have a chance to watch the documentary in it's entirety I highly recommend it!
No comments:
Post a Comment