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Lot Essay
Ralph Jentsch has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
In the present work, Grosz portrays an ordinary German couple, on their way to a gathering, as evidenced by their smart attire and the wrapped bottle of alcohol the woman carries under her arm. Based on their facial expressions, we understand that they are not looking forward to arriving at their destination. In fact, happy times for this couple have surely passed, leaving them consistently dissatisfied with their quotidian life. To further enhance the scene of discontent, Grosz includes an angry doorman to the left of the couple. He peers out of the building’s front door, like a rabid caged animal, unwelcoming to anyone who may enter his domain. A civil servant walks toward the couple, with a briefcase full of documents under his arm. The title of the work, Feste Grundsätze, meaning “firm principles,” hints at the politics of these regular folk. As Ralph Jentsch has noted, “it was mainly these representatives of the Weimar Republic that supported Hitler and helped him a few years later to come to power.”
In the present work, Grosz portrays an ordinary German couple, on their way to a gathering, as evidenced by their smart attire and the wrapped bottle of alcohol the woman carries under her arm. Based on their facial expressions, we understand that they are not looking forward to arriving at their destination. In fact, happy times for this couple have surely passed, leaving them consistently dissatisfied with their quotidian life. To further enhance the scene of discontent, Grosz includes an angry doorman to the left of the couple. He peers out of the building’s front door, like a rabid caged animal, unwelcoming to anyone who may enter his domain. A civil servant walks toward the couple, with a briefcase full of documents under his arm. The title of the work, Feste Grundsätze, meaning “firm principles,” hints at the politics of these regular folk. As Ralph Jentsch has noted, “it was mainly these representatives of the Weimar Republic that supported Hitler and helped him a few years later to come to power.”