Menzel's Realism: Art and Embodiment in Nineteenth-Century Berlin

by Michael Fried, Adolph Menzel

Adolf Menzel was one of the most important German artists of the nineteenth century, yet he is scarcely known outside his native land. In this book a leading art historian argues that Menzel deserves to be recognized not only as one of the greatest painters and draftsmen of his century but also as a master realist whose work engages profoundly with an extraordinary range of issues-artistic, scientific, philosophical, sociopolitical. Michael Fried has written the first book in English to explore Menzel's large and fascinating oeuvre, and in so doing has made the artist's stupendous achievement accessible to a wide audience at last. Fried compares Menzel's art to that of the nineteenth century's two other great realist painters, Courbet and Eakins. Analyzing paintings, drawings, and prints from all stages of Menzel's long career, he asserts that the distinctive quality of Menzel's realism is found in his concern with evoking the multi-sensory, fully embodied relationships of persons with the universe of physical objects, tools, and situations. Establishing connections between Menzel's work and a broad array of extra-artistic contexts, Fried has created a work of compelling originality, one that for the first time establishes Menzel as a key artist of modernity.

Genres: Art

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2002

Reviews

[Neil Miley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something of an art theory deep dive but in the end a very interesting book. Much of the content is speculative, concerning Menzel's intentions. The light that Fried shines on Menzel's compositions is fascinating.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent overview of the art of Adolph Menzel, placing him in the context of other mid nineteenth century realist painters such as Courbet and Eakins.