Anselm Kiefer (German, born 1945) (die Milchstrasse) The Milky Way, 1985-87 Emulsion paint, oil, acrylic, and shellac on canvas with applied wires and lead, 12 1/2 x 18 1/2" In Celebration of the 125th Anniversary of The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, General and Restricted Purchase Funds, 1988

As a German born in 1945, Anselm Kiefer has had to face the end results and guilt of World War II. As an artist, Kiefer confronts this history directly in his work, unlike many of his contemporaries who chose to avoid it. Kiefer’s hope is that his treatment of the subject will place Germany’s mid-twentieth century experience into the realm of universal history and myth, as well as to allow his countrymen to come to terms with their direct or indirect involvement in this terrible period of German history.

The rural landscape we see has been burned, giving an impression of devastation and destruction. In the foreground is a gash filled with white paint; etched in this area is the title of the work, die Milchstrasse. Around the slit, an area resembling a golden light is pierced by the tip of a three-dimensional lead funnel. The funnel is attached to lead wires that lead to the upper ends of the canvas.

Kiefer’s use of lead in this work, and straw in many of his other works, is an homage to his teacher, German conceptual artist Joseph Beuys, who often used unusual everyday materials to make art, such as fat and carpet felt. Such materials often don’t last long and the theme of temporary art is one that Kiefer addresses. At the end of a day during a one-man show by Kiefer, there is often a tiny pile of debris that needs to be swept away from under each work.

Alchemy, the medieval belief that plain metal (often lead) could be changed magically into gold, is also one of Kiefer’s interests. He refers to alchemy in many ways. Here, a funnel may bring light from the heavens to the earth, transforming the burnt results of war to a happier landscape. It also represents the artist as alchemist, one who can transform the spirit and even society itself through the interpretation, artmaking, and mythmaking.

Kiefer was born just as World War II was ending. He spent time studying law and French before spending three weeks in a monastery in La Tourette, France. This experience greatly affected him, and he decided to try his hand at transforming spiritual ideas into concrete forms. In 1970, he went to study with Joseph Beuys at the Dusseldorf Academy. He is not fond of discussing his own life or his artmaking processes, but he is supportive of those who want to discuss the meaning and ideas behind his artwork. Many of his works contain references to historical and philosophical themes such as Nazi war plans, Nordic myth, Wagnerian opera, theological history, and alchemy.

— Mariann Smith

SUGGESTIONS FOR HANDS-ON AND DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES

• What problems does your neighborhood have? What about your block? Your city? Your state? The United States? The world? Make a chart of these problems and discuss whether they are all the same or different. Have each student create an image that reflects one of these problems and offers a solution. Put their artwork together to make a mural.
• How would you feel if you lived in a country that was at war with another country? How would you feel if your country lost? If it won? What are wars fought about? What do they do to cities, food supply, industry, etc.? Are there reasons worth fighting a war? Have students research wars to find out why they occurred (i.e. the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War).
• Research paintings, drawings, and photographs from other wars. Do they have a political agenda? Is the artist trying to express thoughts or feelings about war? Are they simply objective historical documents? Can such a thing exist? Try to relate this to contemporary media and their coverage of events like war. Make your own drawings or paintings based on drawings, paintings, and photographs you found in the research above.
• Choose a material not usually used to make art—straw, pieces of found metal, a rubber band. Can you make a drawing using your materials?
• Choose an everyday object. Draw your object by looking at it. Transform your object into something completely different by changing it a little in a series of drawings. For example, a cat could be changed in about five drawings into a horse, changing its ears, its size, its feet, and its tail slightly in each drawing. Then do a drawing where your object transforms all on one page!
• Activity #5 can be adapted in another way as well. Have students begin with something that reflects a negative aspect of society and change it through a series of drawings into something positive.