Hans Multscher - Wings of the Wurzach Altarpiece

Hans Multscher, Wings of the Wurzach Altarpiece, 1437
(Gemaldegalerie, Berlin)

To the uninitiated, a visit to an art museum can be anything from a pleasant interlude to an excruciatingly painful experience but for a lover of art, visiting a great collection is analogous to being handed a piece of heavenly splendor.   I have been lucky enough to find many opportunities to go exploring to my heart's content through some great collections in New York, Istanbul and London but visiting any city for a limited amount of time and having to prioritize among what to survey, always leaves me in a state of panic. During our recent two day trip to Berlin, however, instead of my usual gluttonous approach to absorbing as much as possible, I tried to be present in the moment and relished the little details I came across in the small amount of time I had.


In Art as in Life, beauty and meaning can be found in the little details which can enchant, amuse and enlighten  even the most skeptical individual.  It is one thing to study a work of art methodically and know all there is to know about it but , as a viewer, I believe, we must also be able to interact with it on a more personal level.  Afterall, why do we prefer one work of art over another? What makes one artist more fascinating to us personally than another? What is the secret appeal of art that has some of us in a state of ecstasy while leaving others comatose from boredom?  I hope to reveal my personal insights and experiences as I venture into different museums and special exhibits, in hopes of sharing my joy of art and   what makes it so special and relevant for us all.  I will start with the treasures I recently discovered at the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin...


The Wings of the Wurzach Altarpiece by renowned German sculptor Hans Multscher, which are considered to be one of the most important works of German painting in the first half of the 15th century, are in the first room of the Gemaldegalerie.  Since the lighting in the galleries were not ideal, it was impossible to take good quality photographs; Google Art Project has wonderful visuals of these panels that are definitely worthy of close inspection. 


The wings of the altar piece depicting scenes from Christ's Passion and the Life of Mary, are striking for their Flemish influenced realism and brilliant colors. The intricate detailing reminiscent of  manuscript illuminations  is amazing given the size of the altarpiece.  The artist has started to give the protagonists unique characteristics and use perspective as well as finding charming solutions to problems he was not advanced enough to solve, like Christ's left leg that is supposed to be coming out of the tomb in The Resurrection of Jesus Christ which is concealed beneath the drapery.

The first scene on the upper left of Christ's Passion start with 'Christ on the Mount of Olives'. The disciples  on the left are asleep in varying poses while Christ is praying amidst a field full of flowers.  In the background Judas is leading a group of Roman soldiers towards Christ.  

The next scene on the upper right is 'Christ before Pilate' where Christ is being led towards Pilate by a big crowd.  Pilate is shown washing his hands to signify he is not responsible for the execution.  The figures crowded into the front of the  picture plane all bear different facial expressions.

On the lower left is 'Christ Bearing the Cross' in which Christ bent under the weight of the cross dominates the lower right of the panel.  Virgin Mary, Saint John and the women stand in the back totally powerless while little children throw rocks at him.  There are bones and a skull on the ground foreshadowing Jesus's death.

On the lower right is the scene of the 'Resurrection.'  Jesus ascends from a sealed sarcophagus.  The rocky cave it is supposed to be set in, is alluded to by the rock formations around the tomb. The guards are sleeping on the ground around the tomb.  Christ 's right hand is raised in blessing and he holds a banner of the cross in his left hand as a sing of victory. Christ's left leg is conveniently hidden under the drapery.

Detail of the flowers in Resurrection

The first scene from Mary's life in the upper left is 'Birth of Christ' where Mary and Joseph are kneeling and worshipping the child beneath the roof of the stable.The angel announcing the Lord's birth to the shepherds can be seen in the back while a crowd of men and women are watching from behind a fence with varying expressions.

On the upper right is the 'Adoration of the Kings'. Kings from different age groups and races are all gathered here to present the baby Jesus  with gold and gifts. Joseph seen behind Mary holding a frying pan with their meal brings a dose of pedestrian charm into the picture.

On the lower left is 'The Pentecostal Feast' where Mary sits in the center of a circle with the twelve Apostles in a chapel-like room. The Holy Spirit is depicted hovering over them as a dove, and the its rays are depicted as tiny flames above the heads of the figures.

The last scene on the lower right is 'The Death of Mary' in which Mary is lying at the center, surrounded by the apostles and Christ holding a miniature of his mother as a symbol of her soul. The remarkable realism of the little details and the characteristic of individual figures is especially apparent in this panel. 

Detail from The Death of Mary

Hans Multscher is primarily known as a sculptor and there is some speculation that this one of the reasons this work contains two signatures by him, to ensure its correct authorship.  The altar piece was owned by Count of Waldburg Zeil in Schloss in Wurzag, which is where it gets it's name; the original location is unknown and the central altar that was probably carved, is lost as well.  But what is left of this wonderful work is still incredible to encounter.  

Sources
http://www.googleartproject.com/museums/gemaldegalerie/the-wings-of-the-wurzach-altar-2

http://www.wga.hu/html_m/m/multsche/wurzach/index.html

A Treasure Trove of a Museum - GEMALDEGALERIE

We spent two glorious days in Berlin as we make our way back to the States.  I came with the intention of realizing my lifelong dream of seeing the Pergamon Museum which I accomplished yesterday but the Gemaldegalerie, today, was more than anything I could have possibly imagined. 

I had an experience akin to walking into a virtual art history book.  Gemaldegalerie is one of the best museums I have seen anywhere in the world.  It seems to have a perfect representation of 13th century to 18th century European Art divided into two main sections Art from Italy, France and Spain and Art from the North of the Alps, as well as a gallery of paintings from England, works by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.

Five hours and five hundred photographs later, I had to leave ... but my thoughts are still there and I hope I can get back here sometime soon.  All the art history classes and books and blogs I have been reading proved their weight in gold today...  Every single painting, in all the galleries, was observed with a knowing eye.  I basically took photographs of the works I particularly favored or details that I found charming in specific paintings... I can't wait to share them all here in this blog... soon.

Following Ingres' Line of Beauty at the Met

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, La Grande Odalisque, 1814
(Musee du Louvre)

When I look at a work of art, it is a very personal experience that far surpasses just analyzing the artists style, composition and subject matter, it is a connection with that era, with that artist.  In studying the great masters, art history classes tend to concentrate on their most famous works in order to convey the artist's most significant achievements but looking at slides or pictures of these grande works on the internet does not appease my longing for a more personal experience. Luckily, I live near New York City, which enables me to realize my penchant for personally engaging with most of the great works of art I study.  This semester, I took a class called  "Revolution to Realism: European Painting 1760-1860"  which for the most part covered French artists, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres being one of the giants of this period.

Ingres, The Bather of Valpincon,1808
(Musee du Louvre)

Of course, most of Ingres' oeuvre is now housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris but I was able to encounter some of his works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  Some of Ingres most famous works are his Oriental nudes which are incredibly fascinating due to his unique style of combining Classicism with Mannerism.  There is an almost photographic quality in some parts of his works with the amount of detail he portrays with such precision while simultaneously distorting the figures to suit his purpose.  This is especially apparent in his sensual nudes who seem to posses extremely elongated bodies and no muscles, just soft, smooth flesh. The critics who saw these nudes at the Salon noted that he added two or three extra vertebra to these figures and it was actually impossible for them to stand or walk.  The sense of weightlessness that can be observed in the Bather of Valpincon and the impossible position of the Grande Odalisque are all part of the fantasy Ingres creates about an exotic world of his imagination. Although he produced many Oriental themed paintings, Ingres never actually traveled to the Middle East or encounter a real Harem or an Odalisque in his life.  His nudes appealed to the Western male viewer because these women were there for male consumption and even their feet which didn't look like they had touched the ground conveyed the message of being kept for the pleasure of men.  Ingres used the S-shaped Line of Beauty to enhance his compositions to great effect.  

Being a Classicist in the Davidian tradition, Ingres believed contours were the most important element in a painting, that even clouds should have contours.  He used closed forms where following the contour of the figure, the viewer can go all the way around the figure to arrive at the point where they started; this is very obvious in his nudes.  I was able to follow his contours first hand as I stood before the Odalisque in Grisaille, at the Met, "an unfinished repetition of the celebrated Grande Odalisque of 1814" according the museum label. In black and white, the soft contours of the body are enhanced more clearly and Ingres' reputation as a master of realism is reinforced. Also lacking the intricate details and lavish colors, Ingres' Classicism is better identified with the stark reality of his lines and shadows and the perfectly smooth surface of his canvas. The sense of quiet that permeates The Bather of Valpincon, can also be felt in this painting; the lack of noise is one of the qualities that captured my attention first.  This is a great work in learning the flow of the brush of such a master and deciphering how he worked.  

Ingres painted Le Grande Odalisque while he was in Rome and studying the masters, especially Raphael whom he was fascinated with; as a matter of fact, the profile of the figure was likened to something Raphael would paint.  I think finding a Raphael that most closely resembles this figure would be delightful, but that is going to have to be a project for another day. For now, I leave you with Ingres and his voluptuous nudes...

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and Workshop, Odalisque in Grisaille, 1824-34
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)