Messiah by Ernst Neuschul

Oil, 1919.

Messiah

Art work details

Original Title :
Messias
Year of production :
1919
Artist:
Ernst Neuschul
Medium :
Oil painting
Materials:
Oil paint, Card
Dimensions :
heigth: 94 cms; width: 53 cms
Credit Line :
Purchased from Christie's Amsterdam with assistance from the Art Fund, V&A Purchase Grant Fund and City of Leicester Museums Trust
Copyright :
© The Artist’s Estate
Associated Groups :
Novembergruppe
Tags:
Weimar Republic, Nudity, Self Portrait, Neuschul

Ernst Neuschul was a painter of the Neue Sachlichkeit, or ‘New Objectivity movement, which arose in post WW1 Germany. Prior to this between 1919-1926 his interests included Freudian psychoanalysis, sexual liberation, spiritualism and yoga. During this period his paintings featured nudes, dancers or self-absorbed figures either in dark interiors, or dreamlike landscapes.

This rare surviving early work shows Neuschul placing himself in the spotlight, in an unusual self-portrait titled Messiah. He highlights his own physicality in a strange sparse landscape, a pathway curving away to blue mountains. Staring directly at the viewer Neuschul stakes a powerful claim to life, pointing directly at his own chest in a dramatic gesture.

Art FundV & A Purchase Grant FundThe City of Leicester Museums Trust

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