Diefenbach, Karl Wilhelm

Description:

Hadamar 1851 - Capri 1913
100 x 75 cm
"Frage an die Sterne". A young girl on a ledge, surrounded by fog patches, looking up at the sky. Oil/canvas, signed and dated 1898 lower right.
German private collection. "Auf höchster Berges-Zinne ein nacktes Menschen-Kind. Dunkle Nebel wallen aus der Tiefe; doch über ihm im unendlichen Raume leuchten Weltenkörper, unermesslich an Zahl und Größe (...). Und der kindliche Geist hebt zu Sternen empor seine Frage: Bergt ihr Wesen wie ich? Und stehen sie "Gott" näher als die verirrten Menschen der Erde?" With this description in the catalogue of the exhibition in Trieste in 1899, Diefenbach provided a starting point for the perception of his painting, which goes far beyond the first impression of a female nude. However, his attempt to stimulate the viewer to engage intellectually with the content of the painting failed: the painting has been perceived primarily from an erotic point of view. In trade and in the press it therefore also appeared under the less philosophical name "Bergfee", which Diefenbach mocked. See Michael Buhrs (ed.), Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851-1913). Lieber sterben als meine Ideale verleugnen. Exhibition-cat. Villa Stuck, Munich, Oct. 2009 - Jan. 2010.