Berlin, DE
Details
- Dimensions
- 14.96ʺW × 0.79ʺD × 12.99ʺH
- Art Subjects
- Abstract
- Period
- 1980s
- Country of Origin
- Germany
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
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- Condition
- Good Condition, Unknown, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Condition Notes
- Very Good — This vintage item has no defects, but it may show slight traces of use. Very Good — This vintage item has no defects, but it may show slight traces of use. less
- Description
-
Karl ludwig mordstein (1937 füssen - 2006 wilszhofen), from the book of the dead of a town (iv), 1983. Color …
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Karl ludwig mordstein (1937 füssen - 2006 wilszhofen), from the book of the dead of a town (iv), 1983. Color etching, copy 16/60, 15.5 x 18.5 cm (image), 30 x 35 cm (sheet size), 33.5 x 38.5 cm (frame), titled, numbered, monogrammed and dated in lead. Framed behind glass.
- in very good condition
- the presence of the submerged -
to the artwork
the multicolored aquatint etching bears the poetic title "from the book of the dead of a city (iv)". The indication that it is a book in conjunction with the roman numeral suggests that the image is part of a narrative, the fourth chapter of which is here before our eyes. Thus, the sunken city is not erased, but continues to be present in its place and forms - as the numbering marks - different stages, even if the city as such is no longer visible. Karl mordstein has made this mysterious presence in the invisible tangible in a haunting way. Already the brown-green-yellow tonal coloration unfolds an intense suggestive power. The yellow hills of the background have the effect of a desert landscape, making it clear that this is an inhospitable region, although the desert sand may harbor something beneath it. The dominant foreground abstractly illustrates a tree growth that looks like a wild thicket, seemingly impenetrable due to the dark tonality. A filigree lattice structure is laid over this area, which has something architectural about it and allows the submerged city to become present. On the other hand, the fluctuating line fragments of the sky, which are just as moving as the dramatically undulating thicket, make the doom present. The chapter of a city's book of the dead, which is moving in itself, nevertheless unfolds a gravitational calm through the color chord, which animates the viewer to immerse himself in the picture.
about the artist
karl mordstein graduated from the werkkunstschule augsburg and initially worked as a commercial artist in munich before concentrating entirely on his own creations as a freelance artist. In 1970 mordstein married the sculptor sinen thalheimer and the artist couple moved to starnberg. In 1972, a first solo exhibition of his works took place in munich, which marked the beginning of an active international exhibition activity that lasted for decades. From 1987, the couple lived on the hollerberg in wilzhofen.
"it is certainly not wrong to recognize in the impression of his calmly floating color drawings the expression of an attitude of mind that owes itself precisely to this conscious turning away from the hectic art market: concentrated serenity. Not changing sensitivities, but empathy with supra-individual rhythms of creation, the perpetual genesis in the natural cycle of becoming and passing away is expressed in it."
- stefan tolksdorf
selected bibliography
karl mordstein. Watercolors, gouaches 1972 - 1975, galerie angst und orny, munich 1975.
juliane roh: karl mordstein. Bilder, paintings 1976 - 79, frankfurt a. M. 1979.
siegfried salzmann (text): karl mordstein. Works on paper, galerie dorothea van der koelen, mainz 1982.
galerie heimeshoff (ed.): karl mordstein. "seelen-notate"; paintings, works on paper, picture boxes; 1985 - 1988, essen 1988.
stefan tolksdorf (text): lebenszeichen. Mordstein, karl and sinen thalheimer, essen 2009.
english version
karl ludwig mordstein (1937 füssen - 2006 wilszhofen), from the book of the dead of a city (iv), 1983. Color etching, copy 16/60, 15.5 x 18.5 cm (image), 30 x 35 cm (sheet), 33.5 x 38.5 cm (frame), titled, numbered, monogrammed and dated in lead. Framed behind glass.
- in very good condition.
- the presence of the submerged -
about the artwork
the multicolored aquatint etching bears the poetic title "from the book of the dead of a city (iv)". The reference to a book, combined with the roman numeral, suggests that the image is part of a narrative, the fourth chapter of which is before us here. Thus, the sunken city is not erased, but continues to be present in its place, forming - as the numbering indicates - different stages, even if the city as such is no longer visible. Karl mordstein has made this mysterious presence in the invisible tangible in a haunting way. The brown-green-yellow tones alone have an intense suggestive power. The yellow hills in the background have the effect of a desert landscape, making it clear that this is an inhospitable region, even though the desert sand may harbor something underneath. The dominant foreground is an abstract illustration of a tree growth that looks like a wild thicket, seemingly impenetrable because of the dark tonality. A filigree lattice structure is laid over this area, which has an architectural quality and allows the submerged city to become present. less
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