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128
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East German Art Altenbourg, Gerhard
Attempt to Capture a Fac…
See original version (German)
128
-
East German Art Altenbourg, Gerhard
Attempt to Capture a Fac…
See original version (German)
Estimate €3,500 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
East German Art
Altenbourg, Gerhard
Attempt to Capture a Face: Uta. 1966. Chalk and pencil on heavy-weight vellum. 60 x 43 cm. Monogrammed and dated. Mounted in a passe-partout, partially mounted on a backing board and framed behind glass. – Overall in very good condition.
Janda 66/34. – This drawing from 1966 is a prime example of Gerhard Altenbourg’s introspective visual language, which always interprets the visible as a cipher for the unspeakable. Contrary to what the title might initially suggest, this is not a portrait in the classical sense, but rather a tentative attempt to give form to an inner image – a memory, a sensation. The line – which in Altenbourg’s work is never purely contouring, but rather searching, faltering and repetitive – unfolds in this piece as an expression of mental movement. The face does not appear as a fixed counterpart, but as a translucent, almost ghostly fragment.
Pencil on wove paper. Monogrammed and dated. Mounted in a passe-partout, spot-glued to the backing and framed behind glass. – Very good overall. – This drawing from 1966 is an exemplary testament to Gerhard Altenbourg’s introspective pictorial language, which always interprets the visible as a cipher for the unspeakable. Contrary to what the title initially suggests, this is not a portrait in the classical sense, but rather a tentative attempt to give form to an inner idea – a memory, a feeling. The line, which in Altenbourg’s work is never purely a contour but rather searching, halting and repetitive, unfolds in this piece as an expression of mental movement. The face does not appear as a fixed counterpart, but as a translucent, almost ghostly fragment.
*This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This work is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union.
See original version (German)
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