Hope and Despair II

Ernst Barlach was a German expressionist sculptor whose figural works, cast in bronze and carved in wood, emerged from his traumatic experience in World War I as a turning point toward pacifism. His sculptures and prints shifted dramatically from nationalist fervor to protest against war and suffering, employing angular forms and stark emotional intensity. The Nazi regime designated most of his oeuvre degenerate art and confiscated his works. Barlach also worked as a printmaker, medallist, and writer, his practice unified by a commitment to social critique conveyed through distorted human form.

Wedel, Germany