This untitled painting, belonging to the 'Traumbilder' (Dream Pictures) group, is being presented to the public for the first time in this exhibition. The painting depicts a threatening scene comprising various elements: a dramatically rendered sky with a red-glowing horizon; an aircraft sqaudron; an industrial landscape in the distance; a railway line and a power pole leading into the distance on the right; a skyscraper on the left; and a single stylised figure in the centre. Next to the figure is a press that appears dangerous due to its proximity to the figure. Two dragon-like creatures, one red and one black, reinforce the threatening situation while giving it a surreal quality. The figure can be interpreted in various ways: it offers viewers the opportunity to identify with it; in its stylisation, it also appears as a generalisation; and finally, it could also be read as a self-portrait of Grossberg, expressing his existential concerns in a very direct way.
The painting was probably created around the turn of 1932/33, as several sketches for it can be found in a small spiral notebook that Grossberg used during that period. Against this background, it is hard not to associate the painting with the political threat in Germany at that time.
Further Media
- Location & Dating
- 1932–33
- Material & Technique
- Öl auf Leinwand
- Dimensions
- 117,4 x 90,9 cm
- Museum
- Privatbesitz
- Inventory number
- X26.020