Saturday, November 02, 2013

What Was That?

The photo in the prior post is part of a bronze sculpture called Ship of Fools by Jurgen Weber done in 1984-87 and which I saw in Nuremberg, Germany this past fall.  The entire sculpture is based on an Albrecht Durer woodcut illustrating the 1497 edition of Das Narrenschiff ...a metaphor for the threatened world titled Ship of Fools.  The whole sculpture is a boat (a nutshell with a fools mask at front and rear) with the passengers Adam and Eve being expelled from Paradise, Cain, a child with a knife in his hand and behind them the tree of wisdom dying which forms the mast. Three other figures going along for the ride are a man representing violence, a handyman representing a realist in present time and a mocker who represents resignation.  There are several works of art based on this satire.  (I was in Nuremberg less than a day and missed 99% of this intriguing city, but did get a photo of this garish sculpture which symbolizes far more than All Hallow's Eve.) 

5 comments:

  1. The way you infused it into that background is astounding!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant, thanks for showing it.
    I know neither the artist nor Nuremburg. It wold be a god idea for me to take a closer look at both.

    That’s the problem with these trips, they don’t give you enough time for details. You’ll have to go back without group travel.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, you did give me a pause with it. How is autumn treating you....color?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for showing it and for sharing the information.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the information.
    I never heard about Jurgen Weber before.

    PS: Love your header photo! Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete

Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.