View allAll Photos Tagged Koloss
Artist || Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927-2004 in Germany)
Title ||
Der Koloß II
The Colossus II (1970)
oil on hardboard
96 x 118 cm
Exhibitor || Städel Museum, Frankfurt
sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/work/der-koloss-ii
Protectively the giant colossus is holding his arms over the city. Or is he suffocating it with his sheer weight? His massive skull is reminiscent of Benito Mussolini, which makes him the personification of the fascist state. The painting can be interpreted as a parable of fascist regimes in general or as a comment on the GDR: a gesture of seeming care suffocates the people, in reality it is being controlled and repressed out of fear of revolt and disobedience. It is unclear whether Wolfgang Mattheuer intended this interpretation.