Upon being given the task to ‘consume a book’, I decided to relate this to my Contemporary Project and read into one artist I’m looking at currently. Here I decided to go for an artist I knew little about, which in my case was Anselm Kiefer.
Whilst scanning the library for any related material, I came across the book ‘Anselm Kiefer’ which was produced in London by the Royal Academy of Arts (2014). This book was made alongside an exhibition titled ‘Anselm Kiefer’ which was in honour of his work to the present day.
Throughout Kiefer is mentioned as a ‘most important’ contemporary artist of the late 20th century. He transcends an array of mediums ranging from sculpture, photography as well painting and installation to convey the taboo subject of Nazism. He reflects upon Germany’s dark past, referring to the holocaust, and unearths the raw emotion that still lies within the subject today. It’s stated that “he allows us to discover a whole that is greater than its visible sum” (pg 149), meaning that he allows for more to be seen, and opens our eyes to a time that can often be over looked. This book looks upon his oeuvre and highlights the deep-rooted connections the German painter has towards such topics, being so closely born to the era in 1945. This not only creates a complex relationship with his art, but also introduces a spiritual influence into his work as well.
Bibliography:
SORIANO, K. LEA, S. KIEFER A. (2014) Royal Academy of Arts. London.