© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2018
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Kunsthalle Mannheim / Cem Yücetas

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Bildnis der Schauspielerin Anni Mewes

Portrait of the Actress Anni Mewes
1917

Edwin Scharff

(1887-1955)

Material / Technik
bronze
Steinsockel
Kategorie des Exponats
Skulptur
Gattung
bust
Erwerbungsjahr
1918
Maße
47,20 cm x 21,00 cm x 20,50 cm
Location

nicht ausgestellt

Intro

Anni Mewes (1895–1980) was one of the most famous actresses in German in the 1920s. Her portrait by Edwin Scharff, produced in 1917, was already renowned amongst contemporaries. Like many Expressionist artists, Scharff attempted to capture the typical in the individual. He was not interested in the mere likeness of his portraits but in the balance between individual features and formal experiment.

His language of form emphasized bulges, broad curves, and sometimes hard cuts and lines. The characteristic aspects of the actresses face are emphasized in details such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, while other elements display the independence of the artistic form. For example Scharff merely implies the hair with a notch, and by rounding off the bottom of the slim neck the expressive face appears to float.

When viewed in profile another special feature becomes clear: Scharff merges the hair, head, and neck to create a form which flows towards the rear, lending this important portrait a certain grace and dynamism which bears witness to a Futurist influence.

Creditline

Kunsthalle Mannheim

Inhalt und Themen
portrait
woman
actor
shiny
smooth (surface)
expressionism
black
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