Unter der Konsole, Edgar Ende
Edgar Ende
Unter der Konsole
DE
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Edgar Ende

Unter der Konsole, 1933


Dimensions
70.5 x 90.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
2445
Acquisition
Acquired in 2014, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 7

Texts

About the Work

Inspired by Surrealism, the paintings of Edgar Ende made a crucial contribution to twentieth-century art. Here, he depicts a grey desert landscape whose inhabitants are completely devoid of identity. Naked and helpless, they figure as the epitome of desperation. Traced in red lines, a pathway leads the viewer’s gaze across the menacingly empty picture plane before it disappears into the horizon. Simultaneously, the man looking out from underneath the console is pointing at an enigmatic object in the background. Ultimately, however, the precise meaning of this nightmarish scenario remains elusive.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Unter der Konsole (Original Title)
Title Translation
Underneath the Console
Painter
Period Produced
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert und datiert unten rechts: E.ENDE 33
Work Catalogues
  • Murken (2009) 77

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Eigentum des Städelschen Museums-Vereins e.V.
Picture Copyright
© Michael Ende Erben / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023
Acquisition
Acquired in 2014, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 29 surrealia, surrealistic representations
  • 48C168(CANTILEVER) other architectural details (CANTILEVER)
  • 31D14 adult man
  • 31D14(+78) adult man (+ eight persons)
  • 41D9 (showing oneself) undressed, quasi-nude
  • 31A234 squatting, crouching figure
Secondary
  • 25H landscapes
  • 46C11 road, path
  • 48C161 column, pillar ~ architecture

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Last update

11.09.2023