Synopses & Reviews
The story of Prometheus is a tale that embodies humanityand#8217;s struggle for autonomy and self-determination. Since the time of romanticism, painters and poets have taken inspiration from the titan who defied Zeus, stealing fire from the gods and giving it to man. Today, the heroism of this feat is upheld in the tradition of the passing of the Olympic flame. But the gift of fire is not without its own substantial dangers whose menace hangs heavy over humankind.
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For Prometheusand#8217;s Torches, Bernhard von Waldkirch and Mirjam Varadinis, both of Kunsthaus Zand#252;rich, have brought together paintings and photographs reflecting the Prometheus myth by Swiss painter Henry Fuseli and New Yorkand#150;based contemporary artist Javier Tand#233;llez. Ambivalence toward the figure of Prometheus is a key theme for Tand#233;llez, whose exploration of Prometheus in the film installation and#189; Rotations features two sculptures in rotation: Arno Brekerand#8217;s bronze Prometheus and German art-brut sculptor Karl Genzeland#8217;s Zwitter (Hermaphrodite)and#151;both of which were on display by the Nazis in 1937, one lauded as a great work of art, the other decried as degenerate. In juxtaposing Tand#233;llezand#8217;s work with works by Fuseli, Prometheusand#8217;s Torches contrasts romantic and contemporary reflections of the myth.
Synopsis
In England, Henry Fuseli was known as the “Wild Swiss”, but he was nevertheless seen as a very British artist, famous for his illustrations of the works of William Shakespeare and John Milton.
Fuseli now explores the work of this romantic artist from the perspective of his Swiss countrymen. This lavishly illustrated collection examines Fuselis most famous paintings, populated by elemental spirits, goblins, and other deliciously strange creatures, as well as the artists early sketches, his monumental historical paintings, and his rarely seen erotic drawings.
Accompanying critical essays trace Fuselis own evolution—from his forced exile at twenty-five after publishing a volatile pamphlet against the local Zürich government, to his later activities as a member of the British Royal Academy of Arts.
The most comprehensive volume ever published on this master of the fantastic, Fuseli will serve as the perfect complement to exhibitions at the Kunsthaus Zürich in Switzerland and the Tate Gallery of Britain in 2006.
Synopsis
The mythic figure of Prometheus has inspired many poets, painters, and musicians since the age of romanticism. For Goethe and Henry Fuseli, the titan who stole the fire from the gods of ancient Greek became the embodiment of mankind struggling for autonomy and self-determination. Until the present day this universal message is continued in the tradition of the Olympic Flame.
Yet the fire has come not only to our benefit. Along with it came also menace upon mankind. This is the subject of a major work by Venezuelan artist Javier Tand#233;llez (born 1969). In his film installation and#189; Rotations (Prometheus and Zwitter) of 2011, two sculptures slowly rotate before a camera: Prometheus by Arno Breker (1900and#8211;91), one of the Nazisand#8217; favorite sculptors, and Zwitter (hermaphrodite) by the German art-brut artist Karl Genzel (1871and#8211;1925), regarded by the Nazis as degenerate. Both works were on display in the Nazi propaganda shows of 1937 in Munich, Brekerand#8217;s in the Grosse Deutsche Kunstaustellung (Great German Art Exhibition) and Genzeland#8217;s in the coinciding defaming exhibition Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art).
This new book juxtaposes paintings and drawings reflecting the Prometheus myth by Henry Fuseli with Javier Tand#233;llez capital work of contemporary art.
About the Author
Franziska Lentzsch is a research assistant and curator at the Kunsthaus Zürich. Christoph Becker is director of the Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland, and specializes in nineteenth-century art. Christian Klemm is deputy director of the Kunsthaus Zürich. Bernhard von Waldkirch is curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Kunsthaus Zürich .
Table of Contents
Foreword Henry Fuseli - Johann Heinrich FüssliZurich 1741-1825 London BERNHARD VON WALDKIRCHFuseli's Early Drawings: Transformations in Expression CHRISTIAN KLEMMThe Principles of Fuseli's Art or the Aesthetics of the Stroke of Genius CHRISTOPH BECKERFriar Puck and Fairy-shot: The Spirits in Fuseli's Art CHRISTIAN KLEMMFriedel's Love and Kriemhild's Revenge: Fuseli's Revels in the Kingdom of the Nibelungs FRANZISKA LENTSCHLondon's Theatres - Drury Lane and Somerset HouseAll the City's a Stage ReferenceChronology of Henry FuseliList of Works ExhibitedBibliographyCredits