MARCKS, GERHARD
1889 Berlin–1981 Burgbrohl

Title: Mädchen mit großem Tuch.
Date: 1936 (draft).
Technique: Bronze, golden brown-patinated.
Measurement: 102 x 32 x 26 cm.
Notation: Artist's signet on the back of the plinth. Also numbered on the rear edge of the plinth: V.
Foundry mark: Next to this the foundry stamp GUSS BARTH RINTELN.


Plaster model reworked by the artist in 1969. This casting must have been made after 1970, as it is equipped with the foundry mark GUSS BARTH RINTELN and the Barth foundry moved from Berlin to Rinteln in 1970



Provenance:
- - Galerie Vömel, Düsseldorf

- Walter Hoor Collection, Düsseldorf

- Private collection, Rhineland-Palatinate


Literature:
- Busch, Günter/Rudloff, Martina: Gerhard Marcks - Das plastische Werk. With a catalog raisonné by Martina Rudloff, Frankfurt a.M./Berlin/Vienna 1979 (2nd ed.), cat. rais. no. 327, ill.

- Thiess, Frank: Gerhard Marcks - A sculptor of European greatness, in: Thema, 1949, Vol. III, p. 29-36

- Buttlar, Herbert von: Antike Plastik und Plastik der Gegenwart, in: Marburger Jahrbuch für Kunstwissenschaft, 1949/50, vol. XV, p. 251-272



- A cohesive, balanced composition with a clear sense of form

- A finely textured surface creates a beautiful interplay of light and shadow

- Masterfully combines tradition and modernity



Born in Berlin in 1889, the sculptor Gerhard Marcks is regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century German sculpture. In a deliberate departure from the avant-garde movements of his time, he developed an independent sculptural language oriented towards classical ideals of scale, proportion and humanity. His works gained international recognition particularly after 1945 and were exhibited at the documenta, amongst other venues. Characteristic of his work is a reduced, clear formal language with a calm, self-contained aura.

The bronze ‘Girl with a Large Cloth’, the design for which dates back to 1936, depicts a standing female figure of slender, balanced proportions. The composition is organised vertically and achieves a calm balance through the figure’s posture: she holds the scarf out to the sides with both hands, causing the form to unfold on both sides and creating a balanced, self-contained effect. The scarf forms a kind of frame around the body, stabilising the overall composition. The surface is finely modulated and aims to create a nuanced interplay of light and shadow. The golden-brown patina emphasises the figure’s warm, material presence.

The sculpture’s impact rests on the figure’s clear, balanced posture. The slightly bowed head and restrained gestures create a quiet, contemplative effect. The drapery acts as a formal counterweight whilst simultaneously emphasising the lines of the body. The sculpture moves between an idealised figure and an individual appearance, without settling on either definitively.

Within Marck’s oeuvre, the work exemplifies his engagement with the standing figure, a theme he explored in various ways over the course of decades.



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#Gerhard Marcks #Expressionism #Bauhaus #Germany #Modern Art #1930s #Sculptures.







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