Christopher Coenen

@chrixcoenen

posting art with ALT text sometimes own photos & history, politics or technology assessment #SpringerpresseEnteignen #XVerbieten MASTODON: Pic: me, Bauhaus exhibition Berlin, armchair by Marcel Breuer, mask by Oskar Schlemmer

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Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 16d

Hier wenigstens keine menschlichen Jäger: Friedrich August Matthias Gauermann, 'A boar attacked by wolves' (circa 1846)

Three wolves, one below the boar.
Next to some water, below a rock with trees on it.
A look into the disrance in the right.
Cloudy sky

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 16d

🫱🏻‍🫲🏻 Oft nur Mythologisches: Roman School, 'Putti presenting Venus with the boar that killed Adonis' (17th c. CE)

Two birds are perched on the ground beside the seated, half-naked goddess. A beautiful landscape can be seen in the background. The two putti are keeping the boar at bay.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 16d

Diese Thesen haben mich stark beeinflusst: www.textlog.de/benjamin/abh... (Wikipedia, deutsch): de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cb...) IN ENGLISH: www.sfu.ca/~andrewf/CON... Die Passage zum Bild habe ich in den ALT-Text des untenstehenden Benjamin-Fotoporträts kopiert:

»Es gibt ein Bild von Klee, das Angelus Novus heißt. Ein Engel
ist darauf dargestellt, der aussieht, als wäre er im Begriff, sich
von etwas zu entfernen, worauf er starrt. Seine Augen sind
aufgerissen, sein Mund steht offen und seine Flügel sind ausge-
spannt. Der Engel der Geschichte muss so aussehen. Er hat das
Antlitz der Vergangenheit zugewendet. Wo eine Kette von Bege-
benheiten vor uns erscheint, da sieht er eine einzige Katastrophe,
die unablässig Trümmer auf Trümmer häuft und sie ihm vor die
Füße schleudert. Er möchte wohl verweilen, die Toten wecken
und das Zerschlagene zusammenfügen. Aber ein Sturm weht
vom Paradiese her, der sich in seinen Flügeln verfangen hat und
so stark ist, dass der Engel sie nicht mehr schließen kann. Dieser
Sturm treibt ihn unaufhaltsam in die Zukunft, der er den Rücken
kehrt, während der Trümmerhaufen vor ihm zum Himmel
wächst. Das, was wir den Fortschritt nennen, ist dieser Sturm.«

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 17d

Paul Klee, 'Angelus novus' (1920)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelus_Novus

Image Description

*Angelus Novus* is considered one of the early works in Paul Klee’s series of angel motifs, which comprises some fifty works created between 1915 and 1940. In Klee’s own words, these are creatures that are still in the “antechamber of the angelic realm.” Their depiction is described as a shorthand-like symbolic script that conveys a sense of effervescent, carefree cheerfulness, in which wit has triumphed over suffering. [2] Striking features of the floating figure include the head, which is disproportionately large in relation to the body; the arms stretched upward with raised fingers, which only slightly suggest a pair of wings; and the rudimentary legs with three toes reminiscent of bird feet. The face is vividly rendered, with wide eyes, a distinct nose, and an open mouth revealing teeth. Also clearly visible are the large ears and the throat or neck; above all, however, the hair—depicted as unmarked scrolls—appears tousled “as if by a storm.”[3] The figure’s gaze extends beyond the picture plane and past the viewer. The drawing is rendered in brown and golden-yellow tones on browned paper; its background appears mottled, and the corners are darkened, so that the figure stands or seems to float within a suggested oval. The work is signed and dated in the lower right corner.

In the context of Paul Klee’s series of motifs, the title *Angelus Novus* can be understood as *Young Angel*.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 17d

Paul Klee, 'Tomcat’s turf' (1919) #Caturday

A small, colourful diptych painting made of watercolor, gouache, and oil on gesso on two pieces of fabric mounted on cardboard.
The work is split into an upper and lower panel. The upper panel features warm greens and pinks forming an abstract, hilly landscape with a stylised black cat accented in orange near the letter "B". The lower panel has cool blues and whites with a speckled orange cat-like shape and a striking red sun circle.

More: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/483131

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 17d

Wilhelm Trübner, 'Beech forest with lovers' (1876)

The lovers – a middle-class woman seen from behind and a man of whom only a small part of the face is visible, who may be a member of a student fraternity or an officer – are just a small, inconspicuous detail on the right-hand side of the picture, which is dominated by the thick beech trees. In the background impenetrable greenery

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 17d

Yuri Pimenov, 'Black women in a forest near Moscow' (circa 1970)

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 17d

Maria Klass-Kazanowska, 'Wild pigs in the forest' (1897)

Two pigs, one dark, one white with a few dark spots. Both under a huge tree. Near to the tree are two mushrooms. More trees are in the background. They are partly in sunlight.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 17d

Arnold Böcklin, 'The silence of the forest' (1885)

In the centre, a bizarre unicorn, apparently blending features of a cow, a camel and a horse, emerges from the tree line. A woman or wood spirit, looking at the observer, sits draped upon the creature's back. A dense, and darh forest creates a heavy backdrop, emphasising isolation and ancient mystery. Between two trees a bit of daylight is visible, with a view into the distance.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 20d

Eero Järnefelt, 'Summer night moon' (1889)

A fenced-in agricultural pasture. A narrow, winding stream (or ditch) cuts through the rural meadow, running in the direction of the observer and dividing the lower two thirds of the picture in roughly two halves. The left side is dominated by a huge pile of wood and a stone. The right side features a meadow and in the background a farmhouse with a barn. Behind is a forest and above stretches the vast, bright night sky of the Nordic summer with the full moon.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 20d

Nils Kreuger, 'Summer evening at Kalmarsund' (1904)

The painting depicts a vast coastal landscape along the Kalmarsund, the strait between Småland and the island of Öland. The foreground is characterized by a flat, rocky shoreline with a few dark cliffs and gentle waves. The dramatic sky, glowing in vibrant shades of orange, pink, and blue, dominates the scene. The warm, subdued sunlight is softly reflected on the relatively calm water’s surface.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 20d

Alexey Rybnikov, 'Summer night. Dikson' (1937)

The painting depicts an Arctic landscape during a polar night on the Siberian island of Dikson. It captures the rugged natural setting, combined with elements of the Soviet development of the North, such as a water airplane, buildings and a ship.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 22d

Tadeusz Pruszkowski, 'Melancholy' (1925)

oil-on-canvas portrait, measuring 80.5 × 62 cm
The painting portrays a young woman, the artist's wife, Zofia Seweryna Pruszkowska (née Katarzyńska), who was a painter herself. She is depicted sitting next to a table on which lie a violin, sheet music, a fiddle and quill pens. Her posture suggests a moment of sudden stillness or a pause brought on by heavy thought. Her expression is deeply contemplative. Subtle, dramatic lighting illuminates her face, hands, and the polished wood of the violin, leaving the surrounding environment enveloped in an atmospheric, shadowy void.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 22d

Earl Horter, 'Monday morning sunshine'

The print captures an iurban scene set in a narrow alleyway between buildings. Washed laundry lines stretch across the gap between the structures. To the left a person, probably a woman, rests on the ground
In the background, at the end of the alleyway, another person is standing

See also: https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/monday-morning-sunshine-10798

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 22d

Pavel Nikonov, 'Our weekdays' (1960)

An early example of the Soviet Severe Style, this painting captures labour without idealisation. The painting breaks with academic perfection. It features angular silhouettes, rough contours, and a somber, minimalist color palette dominated by earth tones and a gloomy winter sky. In the foreground, four workers in warm clothing are being transported on the back of a lorry. One of them looks tired. The honesty of the portrayal is amplified by a grim winter setting, the rigid shapes of trucks on an uneven road, and a restrained color palette. In 1959, Nikonov traveled to Siberia to visit the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Plant, which was under construction. Based on the material he gathered during the trip, the artist painted the work. The background of the painting was influenced by the work The painting was officially deemed a “creative failure” and sparked widespread public debate.
https://www.tretyakovgallerymagazine.com/articles/2-2019-63/pavel-nikonov-moving-towards-freedom-remembering-momentous-epoch: The guidance of Alexander Deineka, an artist senior to him by a generation, was important: it was Deineka who bought Nikonov's “Fishermen" when it was first shown at a youth exhibition. But Nikonov's next painting, “Our Weekdays", which was painted with reference to the compositional structure of Deineka's “The Defence of Petrograd", left the elder artist perplexed. “It's strange - where did you get this German Expressionism from?"

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 26d

Ferdinand Hodler, 'The dream' (1897)

https://www.artera.ae/artworks/35514818-fdad-4ea4-b27e-02e1bc2774c2

Ferdinand Hodler painted *The Dream* using oil on canvas. This composition is dominated by its verticality, reinforced by the almost regimented field of green. A seated woman draped in white is central, her fiery red hair contrasting with the cool tones around her. Her gaze is downward, drawing our eye to the unsettling panel below.

Hodler uses symbolism to explore themes of mortality, memory, and the unconscious. The woman above, perhaps a representation of consciousness, seems to contemplate the image of a nude body, which could be her own, lying as if deceased. This stark juxtaposition destabilizes notions of life and death.

Consider the formal elements at play: the upward reach of the flowers versus the downward slump of the figure. These directional cues create a visual tension, suggesting a world in conflict between life's vitality and the inevitable pull of death. This isn't just a painting; it's a philosophical inquiry into the human condition, rendered through form and symbol.

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 26d

Wayne Thiebaud, 'Four pinball machines' (1962)

Essay: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6269998

One of the largest canvases painted during a pivotal period of his career, Four Pinball Machines (1962) helped to establish Wayne Thiebaud as one of the most innovative artists of his generation. Throughout his career, the artist has sought to prove himself as a painter. Without formal training, he began his working life as a commercial artist (he worked for a time at the Walt Disney studios), and eventually he developed a distinctive form of figurative realism that stood apart from what is traditionally thought of as Pop Art. Like his contemporaries on the East Coast, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Thiebaud sought inspiration from everyday objects, but unlike his New York counterparts, he rendered them with a tactile brushstroke and a keen sense of color. Thiebaud was as concerned with the challenge of how to convey color, space and light as he was with the physical rendering of the forms themselves; in this row of pinball machines he renders his subject matter with brushstrokes of electric color portraying them in complex detail. From a seemingly ordinary object, Thiebaud is able to tease out loaded meaning and hidden visual potential. He remarked, “[My subject matter] was a genuine sort of experience that came out of my life, particularly the American world in which I was privileged to be. It just seemed to be the most genuine thing which I had done” (W. Thiebaud, quoted in Steve A. Nash, op. cit., p. 18).

Across the center of this monumental canvas Thiebaud paints a row of colorful pinball machines, lined up as if standing to attention. Rendered in the artist’s signature precisionist style, tall slender legs support the body of the machines, with their kickers, slingshots, bells, and flashing lights all poised to spring into action once the player pulls back the pin to release the shiny stainless steel ball. We get a tantalizing glimpse of the maze through which these balls travel through the carefully an…

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· 26d

René Magritte, 'Representation' (1962)

https://www.thehistoryofart.org/rene-magritte/representation/

#Football

Christopher Coenen@chrixcoenen· Jul 10

Really happy to have contributed to this wonderful volume with @springernature.com, masterly edited by @lchecketts.bsky.social ! Europe must redefine its place in the world, adopting a modest and genuinely progressive approach. To do so it must (re-)discover both non-European history and its own.