Jolly Peg-Leg, 1934

In a long striding movement, taking a step forward with his peg-leg projecting from his trouser leg, body enveloped in a thick cloak, hat pulled down deep into his face—this is how Ernst Barlach (1870–1938) models the figure of a marginalized man with flowing round shapes. Prompted by a stay in Russia in 1906, Barlach’s way of turning to people on the edge of society marked a reorientation in subject matter and also a formal change in his life’s work. His sculptural work was increasingly informed by soft lines, closed architectural shapes and an expressive abstracting take on depicting his figure’s corporeality. Barlach’s representations of humans often are in a tension between his concentration on the peculiar, abnormal and, in stark contrast, the pronounced jolliness his figures display.

MH, 2021