The art piece I chose, was an oil on canvas painting created by the artist Franz von Stuck in the year 1908. Von Stuck was a German painter,sculptor,architect and engraver who was awarded the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown in 1906. Stuck’s work was mainly focused around mythology and most of his paintings featured large forms which exuded his interest in sculptures. As for this particular piece I chose titled “Inferno”, it was created by Stuck in the year 1908 before the end of the Second World War and captures the artist ‘s own perception of hell or some kind of purgatory. In the painting, a snake,flames and demons are displayed with dark colors as they appear to torment the people around them. Three men in the painting are seen in a fetal position as they appear to be in some immense pain and anguish as one would imagine hell to be. Many critics saw Stuck’s work as visionary as he explored a darker and more sinister side of art without fear. It is also believed that the artist pulled his inspiration from August’s Radin’s “The Gates of Hell”. Stuck’s Inferno really captured the ideals of 19th century modernism as it relates to finding new forms of expression as Modernism was concerned with experimental art forms and Stuck’s release of a more sinister topic was indeed innovative and received many praises from critics for his subject matter. His depiction of Inferno’s expression of the atrocities of hell delved into the modernists appetite for surrealism and expressionism.
The context in which I came across the painting was simply through my online search for a painting that would give some reflection of the mind’s of artists during this chaotic period of war and oppression. I wanted to be more familiar with the painting before I actually visited in person and so upon searching for a piece that I believed captured the heart and mind of the people who are not afraid to express themselves (artists) I came across the Inferno piece and more interestingly, I noticed it was constructed by a German native. Which is mainly the reason I chose this particular piece. I was very interested in what Germans found captivating during this time as they played a major role in both World Wars and are indeed interesting citizens to study. I feel like Stuck’s painting being as sinister and mind boggling as it is really is a great representation of the minds and heart of many other Germans and like minded people from other nationalities and creeds during this time . This is what inspired me to further study this art piece. In closing, there are absolutely no outstanding questions that I had about this particular art work and why the artist chose to create this work. I feel like I understood greatly the context of this piece and why he chose to create it during such times of hardship. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this artist and his work. Thank you.
Shinelle, I like the very organized approach you took to this assignment. I’m not sure about your generalizations about the Germans, however, particularly since this painting is from 1908. There is a lot that seems pretty traditional in this work, but I like your suggestion that there are suggestions of surrealism and expressionism as well – in the dark mood and emotional quality of the work.
Thank you professor.