Art Elements Analysis -- "Bohemia Lies by the Sea" by Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer’s Bohemia Lies by the Sea (1996), a painting originating from Germany, is a depiction of the desolation and uncertainty that Germany experienced after World War II. Picturing isolated country, with tire tracks that lead through a poppy field into the dark distance. Within this painting there are numerous artistic elements, some of which are more important to the overall meaning that Kiefer aimed for.
Symbolism:
In most iconic art pieces, there is always a symbol that
hides within the overall picture. For Anselm Kiefer’s piece, the poppy flower encompasses
attention almost immediately. Within his painting Kiefer picked the poppy as his
primary flower, to emphasize the emotion of despair that remains within the
country, as a poppy flower is the symbol for death, dreams, and sleep. To
highlight this hidden meaning, Kiefer included poppy flowers colored red orange
to emphasize military veterans’ presence. Upon closer inspection of the painting,
you will find paint drips the color of dried blood close to those poppies. Possibly,
speculating that their presence (red-orange poppies), emphasizes the death that
was left in their (soldiers’) wake, even within their own country.
Color/Balance:
At first glance, the color complexity in this painting develops
a chaotic perspective. However, after realization of the depth which the color
was applied starts to develop, a sense of balance follows. Kiefer gave an interview
with SFMOMA in which he states his belief that an artist should always have the
goal of finding the balance between order and chaos. In Bohemia Lies by the Sea, the colors seem chaotic at first, but as you understand the emotion,
history, and overall meaning behind it, the balance becomes apparent. Kiefer
has created a painting that captures the despair, and desolation, left in the
wake of World War II within the use of oil, emulsion, shellac, charcoal, and
powdered paint on burlap. All of which develops into a myriad of contrasting
colors, that grab onto certain emotions and bring them to the surface.
Texture:
Among many of Kiefer’s unique talents, one of his most known
is his use of texture. Although this is a painting constructed on a burlap
canvas, the depth of texture, and variety of materials used, almost give the
illusion of a sculpture. From a side glance the painting looks like a cross between
3D and 2-dimensional, as the extent of texture gives it such volume. Almost achieving
the level of a bas-relief sculpture, which is a sculpture that is carved from a
two-dimensional plane creating a three-dimensional appearance. Usually apparent
by the background being shallow from its raised features. Kiefer’s Bohemia Lies by the Sea has such a texture that would be considered successful in accomplishing
that status, especially as Kiefer used straw and other raw materials for added
volume.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7761/18205662632_d3325f1d8
Description
and Inspiration:
Throughout the layer upon layer of which it took Kiefer to
construct this painting, it gives off the impression that he was attempting to
sculpt the German consciousness, both past and present upon a two-dimensional canvas.
Though his painting is so heavy that it chips, cracks, and breaks off in chunks;
the overall meaning of despair and complexity of other emotions is still
apparent and long lasting. Kiefer may be unique in his use of raw materials,
and landscape art; but his true unique quality comes from being able to capture
and present a work of art, with such courage, during a time in which Germany
would have still been recovering from it’s past. Yet, his bravery should also
be commended as it allows people during modern times to get a glimpse into the
pain, and suffering that World War II, undoubtedly caused in Germany.
https://viewfromaburrow.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/img_8579.jpg?w=584
Anselm Kiefer utilizes a portion of inspiration from an
Austrian Poet. The title Bohemia lies by the sea is an excerpt from a
1964 poem by poet Ingeborg Bachmann. The Poem Bohmen Liegt am Meer is a mournful
poem, filled with longing for the unfulfilled wish of a utopian state, a place
that troubled souls wish for with knowledge that it can never be found. Anselm’s
paintings are usually inhabited by haunted words, readable either on the
painting or invisible below the layers of paint. Kiefer inscribed the title
along the horizon line, at the upper left side of the road, with partly
obscured letters. The inspiration lies within a specific part of the poem as
follows:
“If love’s
labour’s lost in every age, I’ll gladly lose it here.
If it’s
not me, it’s one who is as good as me.
If a
word here borders on me, I’ll let it border.
If
Bohemia still lies by the sea, I’ll believe in the sea again.
And believing
in the sea, thus I can hope for land.
If it’s
me, then it’s anyone, for he’s as worth as me.
I
want nothing more for myself, I want to go under.
Under-that
means the sea, there I’ll find Bohemia again.
From
my grave, I wake in peace.
From
deep down I know now, and I’m not lost (Bachmann, 1964).”
With an understanding of the emotion behind the painting,
the history layered within, and the consciousness it captures lies the
understanding behind this inspiration. Keifer must have found that excerpt of the
poem to be the wish, on many German minds, after the climax of such a long and
devastating war. As after the dust settled and the last bullet flew, those left
behind were filled with an emptiness that could only have moved on with the
motivation of hope for a better future.
References:
SFMOMA, "An
interview with Anselm Kiefer," in Smarthistory, December 21, 2020, accessed September 12, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/an-interview-with-anselm-kiefer-2/.
Corey D'Augustine and
Dr. Steven Zucker, "Anselm Kiefer, Bohemia Lies by the Sea," in Smarthistory, September 7, 2018, accessed September 12, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/kiefer-bohemia/.
Johnson, Michael.
"Bohemia Lies By The Sea". View From A Burrow, 2022, https://viewfromaburrow.com/2016/01/26/bohemia-lies-by-the-sea/.
Jasmine, I find the German reconstruction era a really interesting topic when it comes to art. There are many cultural heritage sites documenting the suffering, complexity and transition of the German identity after the dismantling of fascism. Documentation of expressions like art reflect the dedication of modern Germany to accounting for the crimes committed under the Nazi regime. It also serves as an example against authoritarian ideology, instead promoting systems of democratic socialism. Kiefer's painting interests me for the abstraction it operates under; the blotty, rough textured paint gives a muddy uncertainty to what we are seeing, reflecting the conflictions of reconstruction. I had a hard time figuring the scene until you pointed out the red of the poppies, which was put excellently. After that, in my mind I saw the center as a path alluding to Bohemia in the title and poem. However, I also think the middle serves as a double-entendre. From the center it looks like a path, but it can also be interpreted as a barrier, possibly alluding to the Berlin Wall. Great choice to provide the poem too, it gives a great perspective on the whole of the painting's history. This is awesome!
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