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Urd Werdande Skuld (The Norns) 1983
Oil, shellac, emulsion and fibre on canvas
support: 4205 x 2805 x 60 mm
painting
ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
AR00036
(From the online caption April 2009)
Oil, shellac, emulsion and fibre on canvas
support: 4205 x 2805 x 60 mm
painting
ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
AR00036
Between 1980 and 1983, Kiefer made paintings that revisited images of Hitler’s monumental architecture. Using old photographs and architectural plans, Kiefer transformed symbols of Nazi authority into derelict building-sites. In this work, the vaulted structure contains the unseen presence of the Norns, the three figures of fate in Germanic mythology, named Past, Present and Future. Their names are scratched into the ceiling, while below a glowing fire points to salvation and regeneration. Drawing on the artist’s fascination with Norse folklore and Wagnerian motifs, the work reflects his attempts to reconcile his country’s recent history through the myths of Germanic legend.
I subscribe to a blog entitled Art Blart. That is where this image of The Norns has come from - and there are other images there, too, by the same painted. The artist is Anselm Kiefer. I find his work striking and meditative. More images of his work can be found here, and here.
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