Existing comment:
Amerika
Bronze relief by Jurgen Weber
gift of Germany, 1971
Sculptor Jürgen Weber (1928–2007) was self-taught. His panels required more than 200 separate castings to complete, taking him four years to sculpt in plaster and another two years for a foundry in Berlin to cast the pieces.
War or Peace shows nude figures in various scenes representing war and peace, ranging from a bombed city with a figure clawing out of a bunker to figures dancing to music of the Greek goat-god Pan. Amerika contains symbols of contemporary science and commerce to show America's inner contrasts: democratic idealism, the competitive world of science and business, and the inner tensions arising from many viewpoints. Weber's art strives for stark simplification of natural forms, emphasizing the junctures of movement and emotional expression. |