Stephan Balkenhol Man Black and White / sculpture / signed, numbered / edition of 28

Year: 2018
Format: 30 x 62 x 15 cm / 11.8 x 24.4 x 5.9 inch
Material: Bronze
Method: sculpture
Edition: 28
Other: signed, numbered on the base

Stephan Balkenhol Mann Schwarz Weiss, Skulptur, signiert, nummeriert, Auflage 28

Stephan Balkenhol Man Black and White / sculpture / signed, numbered / edition of 28

Year: 2018
Format: 30 x 62 x 15 cm / 11.8 x 24.4 x 5.9 inch
Material: Bronze
Method: sculpture
Edition: 28
Other: signed, numbered on the base

Stephan Balkenhol – Man Black and White.

Year: 2018
Format: 30 x 62 x 15 cm / 11.8 x 24.4 x 5.9 inch
Material: Bronze
Method: sculpture
Edition: 28
Other: signed, numbered on the base

Stephan Balkenhol - Man Black and White.

Stephan Balkenhol’s bronze sculpture “Mann schwarz/weiss,” which translates to “Man black/white,” is a captivating and thought-provoking work that embodies the artist’s signature style of depicting ordinary, everyman figures. This piece features a man dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, standing in a pose that exudes a sense of calm and introspection. The sculpture’s minimalist color palette, combined with Balkenhol’s distinctive approach to form and texture, invites viewers to delve into the subtleties of human presence and identity.

Balkenhol is renowned for his ability to breathe life into his sculptures through his meticulous attention to detail and his unique carving technique. Although he often works with wood, “Mann schwarz/weiss” is cast in bronze, a material traditionally associated with permanence and historical gravitas. Despite this shift in medium, the sculpture retains the characteristic texture of Balkenhol’s wood carvings, with visible chisel marks that lend the figure a tactile, almost raw quality. This deliberate choice serves to bridge the gap between the ephemeral nature of human experience and the enduring nature of art.

The man in “Mann schwarz/weiss” is depicted in a somewhat nondescript manner, with simple, straightforward clothing and a neutral expression. This lack of specific detail or overt emotion transforms the figure into a universal symbol, allowing viewers to project their interpretations and emotions onto the sculpture. The white shirt and black trousers are not just a fashion statement but a symbolic contrast, perhaps hinting at themes of duality, balance, and the complexities of human nature.

Balkenhol’s work often explores the tension between individuality and anonymity, and “Mann schwarz/weiss” is no exception. The figure’s ordinary appearance juxtaposed with the extraordinary craftsmanship of the sculpture prompts viewers to reconsider the value and significance of everyday life. The man’s pose—upright and slightly relaxed—suggests a moment of pause or contemplation, inviting observers to reflect on their own existence and place within the broader human experience.

In the broader context of Balkenhol’s oeuvre, “Mann schwarz/weiss” continues his exploration of the human figure as a vessel for existential inquiry. His figures, while grounded in the real world, are imbued with a timeless quality that transcends specific cultural or historical contexts. This universality is a testament to Balkenhol’s skill in capturing the essence of humanity in his work.

Furthermore, the use of bronze in “Mann schwarz/weiss” is particularly significant. Bronze, with its historical connotations of durability and prestige, elevates the subject matter of an ordinary man to a level of enduring importance. This choice reinforces Balkenhol’s message that every individual, regardless of their outward simplicity, possesses an inherent worth and dignity.

In conclusion, Stephan Balkenhol’s “Mann schwarz/weiss” is a masterful sculpture that encapsulates the artist’s profound engagement with the human condition. Through its careful attention to form, texture, and symbolic detail, the piece invites viewers to reflect on the nuances of human identity and existence. Balkenhol’s ability to transform the mundane into the monumental is a testament to his skill and vision as an artist, making “Mann schwarz/weiss” a poignant and enduring work of contemporary sculpture.

Stephan Balkenhol is certainly one of the internationally most famous German artists alongside Gerhard Richter or Georg Baselitz. Since the 1980s, these artists have been searching for new ways of formulating everyday material for their works. Since about 1982, the human figure and the head, which are directly cut out of the block of wood, have shaped the work of Stephan Balkenhol. Very often the man in black business trousers and white shirt. An archetype as he can be found worldwide from Hong Kong to New York and Shanghai. Balkenhol uses traditional tools to work the wood, which he perceives as a living substance. In this way, cracks, grooves, splinters and cracks remain visible and refer to the sculptural working process. The man in black and white is always without any sign of subjective condition or emotion. Thus the sculpture is free of sociological and socio-critical references. In his “everyday uniform” of white shirt and black trousers and casual posture, the man in black and white could thus be the sculpture of everything, doing and thinking everything, representing everything. Stephan Balkenhol’s bronze thus becomes the ideal projection surface for his own search for meaning. As an archetype, the man in the white shirt is as important in Balkenhol’s work as the equally famous works of art “Naked Man”, “Grote man, kleine man” in Amsterdam or the Portraits de SS.AA.RR. Le Grand-Duc Jean et La Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte from 2006. From October 22, 2020, to February 28, 2021, the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg/Germany showed a comprehensive exhibition of Stephan Balkenhol’s work, which was created in close collaboration with the artist.

In 2024, the sculpture Man black and white was published in a new edition of 100 half-size copies, 35 cm high and weighing 5 kg.

Ihr Ansprechpartner
Frank Fluegel
E-Mail: info(at)frankfluegel.com
Ihr Ansprechpartner
Frank Fluegel
E-Mail: info(at)frankfluegel.com
Stephan Balkenhol Man Black and White / sculpture / signed, numbered / edition of 28


Year: 2018
Format: 30 x 62 x 15 cm / 11.8 x 24.4 x 5.9 inch
Material:Bronze
Method:sculpture
Edition:28
Other:signed, numbered on the base
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