Chapter 1
Georg Baselitz and the art of inversion
Chapter 2
Gerhard Richter and the blurry truth
Chapter 3
Anselm Kiefer and the weight of history
Chapter 4
The Neue Wilden and the punk paint revolution
YOUR GOAL
Master of German painting after the war
Ch 3 · Anselm Kiefer and the weight of history
gertrude Anselm Kiefer
With lead and with straw, The weight of memory, Germany's deep past, In the earth we see.
gertrude Kiefer transformed a 110-acre abandoned silk factory in France into a sprawling playground of concrete towers and tunnels.
gertrude Kiefer mixes heavy physical materials like lead, straw, and ash directly onto his giant canvases to symbolize destruction.
Fun Fact
Acid-washed art: Anselm Kiefer often leaves his massive lead-and-canvas paintings outside in the rain and sun for years to let nature naturally corrode them.
Glossary
vergangenheitsbewältigung (noun)
The psychological and cultural process of confronting and coming to terms with a difficult national past. In 1969, Anselm Kiefer challenged German silence regarding World War II by staging provocative salutes across Europe.
The psychological and cultural process of confronting and coming to terms with a difficult national past. In 1969, Anselm Kiefer challenged German silence regarding World War II by staging provocative salutes across Europe.
Quiz
Which poet's Holocaust poem 'Death Fugitive' heavily inspired Anselm Kiefer's straw paintings?
Quiz
What childhood environment heavily influenced Anselm Kiefer's fascination with ruins and rubble?
Quiz
In which French town did Anselm Kiefer transform a 110-acre silk factory into a massive art estate?
Quiz
Which heavy metal material does Anselm Kiefer use to make massive, unreadable book sculptures?
Quiz
Why does Anselm Kiefer intentionally leave his massive paintings outside in the rain and sun?
Quiz
What was the title of Anselm Kiefer's controversial 1969 photo series featuring the Nazi salute?