The Village Pond of Gelmeroda, 1922

Dimensions: 86.0 x 112.0 cm

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Inventory Number: 2109

Acquisition: Acquired in 1967 as a donation from the Farbwerke Hoechst AG, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Status: On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 13

Texts

About the Work

A question of distance: from far away we see a landscape with houses reflected in the water, while close up we see only geometric structures which overlap and penetrate each other. The dematerialisation of the objects is one of Feininger's central artistic interests: "What we have seen must be reshaped and crystallised internally," wrote the artist, who was appointed to the Bauhaus by Walter Gropius in 1919. Gelmeroda, which today forms part of Weimar, inspired Feininger to numerous works in which he mystically heightened village subjects with Expressionist and Cubist forms.

About the Acquisition

In 1863 the Teerfarbenfabrik Meister, Lucius & Co. was founded in Hoechst am Main. It was to become one of the leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies in Germany: Hoechst. It was a founding-member of the syndicate dye industry, from which I.G. Farben emerged in 1925. After the Second World War, I.G. Farben was split into its founder companies and Hoechst AG was re-established. In 2004 it merged with the French company Sanofi-Synthélabo. This painting was a gift of the company on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Städel Museum in 1966.

Audio & Video

Basic information

02:27

ASK AN ARTWORK – Fragen an die Kunst, Antworten aus dem Home Office: Lyonel Feininger #StaydelAtHome

Eine einfache Szene: ein Haus am Wasser. Tatsächlich aber ist alles gebrochen - und alles gleichzeitig da: Vorder- und Rückseite, Innen und Außen, Tag und Nacht. So wie das Coronavirus die Welt in neuem Licht erscheinen lässt, müssen wir mit Lyonel Feininger das Sichtbare befragen: ASK AN ARTWORK! In der Serie ASK AN ARTWORK beantwortet die Kunsthistorikerin Anna Huber (Mitarbeiterin der Abteilung Bildung und Vermittlung) aus dem Home Office Fragen, die wir an die Kunst haben. Denn während der Coronakrise kommt das Städel zu Ihnen: #StaydelAtHome Findet Lyonel Feinigers Werk "Dorfteich von Gelmeroda" in der Digitalen Sammlung: https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/dorfteich-von-gelmeroda It's simply a house by the water - yet it is all is broken up into facets and we see everything simultaneously: interior and exterior, front and back, daylight and nighttime. Just like the Coronavirus has shown us the world in a new light, this kaleidoscope-like painting by Lyonel Feininger makes us question the visible. So let's ASK AN ARTWORK! In the series ASK AN ARTWORK art historian Anna Huber (Educational Department of the Städel Museum) answers the questions that we have for art – from home office. Because during the Corona-Crisis, if you can’t come to the Städel Museum, then the Städel Museum will come to you: #StaydelAtHome Find Lyonel Feininger's "The Village Pond of Gelmeroda" in our Digital Collection: https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/work/the-village-pond-of-gelmeroda

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: The Village Pond of Gelmeroda

Painter

Lyonel Feininger

Period Produced

20th century

School

expressionism

Object Type

painting (artwork)

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Material

canvas

Technique

Label at the Time of Manufacture: Signiert und datiert unten rechts: Feininger 22

Property and Acquisition

Institution

Städel Museum

Departement

Modern Art 1800–1945

Collection

Städelsches Kunstinstitut

Creditline: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Eigentum des Städelschen Museums-Vereins e.V.

Picture Copyright: © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024

Acquisition: Acquired in 1967 as a donation from the Farbwerke Hoechst AG, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre

city view

Main Motif

Associated Persons and Institutions

Paul Klee

Iconclass

Primary

61E(GELMERODA) names of cities and villages (GELMERODA)
25I2 village
25H2143 pond, pool

Secondary

22C5 reflection (light in general)

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History: [Sammlung Harry Fuld (1879-1932), Frankfurt am Main]

[an seinen Sohn Peter Harry Fuld (1921-1962), London]

an seine Mutter Ida Maria Fuld-Felsmann (1884–1975), Frankfurt am Main

an den Städelschen Museums-Verein e.V., Frankfurt am Main, 1967 (als Schenkung der Farbwerke Hoechst AG).

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known: