Anselm Kiefer Exhibition in Paris

Installation view of Anselm Kiefer at Centre Pompidou, Paris (2015-2016)

PARIS: The Pompidou Centre in Paris is currently showing, until April 18, a major retrospective of the contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer. The exhibition brings together 150 works, including 60 of his most important paintings, together with vitrine installations, photographs and drawings on paper, to trace his artistic and philosophical evolution, chronologically and thematically, from his early work in the 1970s to the present day.

Among the early works, two 1973 paintings, "Resurrexit" and " Quaternitat" are emblematic. Resurrexit depicts an abandoned road driven through a dead forest, the surrounding trees stained with blood. Above, a wooden stairway leads to a closed door. The only living creature is a snake, writhing on the road. Quaternitat depicts a wooden room – wood from the forest, Germany’s folk heritage; three fires burn on (but do not consume) the floor – the Christian god-trinity; and again there is the snake, the satanic corrupter of Eden.

Born in the Black Forest region of Germany in 1945, two months before the end of the Second World War, Kiefer grew up in a physically and psychologically shattered world, immersed in the after-effects of the war. From this traumatized childhood he emerged as the first artist of Germany’s post war generation to confront the country’s nazi history, both in terms of its ruinous consequences and its roots in German identity. Understanding and coping with the past has been one of his obsessions, explored through Germanic and ancient mythology and mystical traditions including Jewish Kabbala. He has created his own personal pictorial language to express himself, often using materials such as ash, charcoal and lead, and developing a symbolism inspired by history, religion and mythology, Much of his work is at first sight dark and oppressive, imbued with a sense of desolation. Yet, the overall effect is not one of despair; it’s a search for reconciliation, the broken remade whole.

Kiefer is undoubtedly one of the greatest living artists, a star invitee of major international museums and art events such as the 1980 Venice Biennale, the Kassel documenta (three times) and the 2007 Paris Monumenta.

" You can't fail to be moved when you stand in front of these powerful works," says Tim Marlow, director of artistic programmes at the Royal Academy, in London, which hosted an impressive solo exhibition of his work -- including many monumental sculptures -- in 2014.

巴黎：巴黎蓬皮杜中心正展出德国当代艺术家Anselm Kiefer的大型回顾展，展期直到4月18日。此次展出集合了150幅作品，其中包括60幅他这一生最重要的作品，图像及纸质图纸以玻璃包裹展出。此次展出从他早前70年代的作品到现在，按时间和主题顺序排布，展现了他在艺术和哲学方面的不断发展。

在他早期的作品中，两幅1973年的作品’Resurrexit’ 和’Quaternitat’ 是具有代表性的。’Resurrexit’描绘了一条通往死亡森林的偏僻小路，四周都是染上鲜血的树木。在图画的上半部分有一个木制的阶梯通向一扇紧闭的大门。画面中唯一的生物，是一条盘在路中央的蛇。’Quaternitat’描绘的是一间森林中的小木屋，是德国的民间特色，地上燃着三把火，犹如基督教的上体，三位一体，但是地板却并没有损毁。同样地，画面中也有一条蛇，标志着邪恶与败坏的风气。

二战前的1945年，Anselm Kiefer出生在德国的黑森林区。在他的成长过程中，心理和身理上遭受着战争的打击，沉浸在战争的后遗症之中。正因为这个千疮百孔的童年时期，他成为了德国战后一代对抗纳粹的艺术家。他对艺术的执着表现在对于过去历史的剖析，探索了日耳曼古老神话的传统，包括对于犹太的理解。他同时也创作了自己的个人写真，常常用灰、木炭及铅等素材来塑造具有历史性、宗教性和神话色彩的作品。他的大部分作品第一眼看上去总是那么黑暗、压抑，充满苍凉之感。但是画面的整体效果并不是一味地绝望，而是对于未来的探索和期盼。

Kiefer无疑是如今仍在世的伟大的艺术家之一，是各大国际博物馆及艺术展览的宠儿，比如他参加过1980年的威尼斯双年展，三次卡塞尔文献展以及2007年巴黎纪念馆的展出。

正如在2014年成功展示过许多成功作品的英国伦敦皇家艺术院项目总监，Tim Marlow所说：站在这些充满力量的作品面前，你无法不被感动。