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The Sorrow of the Nibelungen, 1973 (oil & charcoal on burlap)

IMAGE number
HST1075180
Image title
The Sorrow of the Nibelungen, 1973 (oil & charcoal on burlap)
Artist
Kiefer, Anselm (b.1945) / German
Location
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA
Medium
oil and charcoal on burlap
Date
1973 AD (C20th AD)
Dimensions
300.3x440 cms
Image description

The title of the painting is a pun that plays on The Song of the Nibelungen, an epic poem from the 13th century adapted by composer Richard Wagner in the "Ring Cycle." Adolph Hitler was a great admirer of the opera, seeing in it the embodiment of his own vision for the German nation. For Kiefer, The Sorrow of the Nibelungen reflects not only the tragic ending of the saga, but also the perversion of German history in the 20th century. By changing one word in the title of the poem—using the word sorrow ("leid" in German) in place of the word song ("lied")—Kiefer transforms the popular legend into an elegy for the dead. He memorializes the slain protagonists of the poem by writing their names beside pools of blood on the floor. The grand space of the timbered room is based on the attic studio where Kiefer was working at the time. The swirling lines of the wood grain and the dramatic illusion of deep space set the stage for the drama.

Photo credit
Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston / Museum purchase with funds provided by Caroline Wiess Law / Bridgeman Images
Image keywords
wood (material) / material / blood / Wagner Richard (1813-1883) / 19th century / Germany / Europe / composer / musician / room / interior / wooden / grain / stains / world war ii / stained / world war two / second world war / stain / ww2 / wwii
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In copyright
Independent artist in copyright
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Largest available format 8301 × 5779 px 15 MB
Dimension [pixels] Dimension in 300dpi [mm] File size [MB]
Large 8301 × 5779 px 703 × 489 mm 15.4 MB
Medium 1024 × 713 px 87 × 60 mm 1.2 MB

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