Standbein-Spielbein

It would be misleading to discuss Markus Lpertz' large-scale painted bronze sculpture 'Standbein-Spielbein' in terms of the traditional motif of the torso or as a reference to nature in art. On the contrary, the work is actually more about cultural and artistic conventions, the title of the work referring, for example, to ballet, perhaps the most 'artificial' form of dance. Like many of Lpertz' motifs, 'Standbein-Spielbein' makes conscious reference to the history and traditions of Western art, from ancient Greek sculpture to the works of Rodin and Maillol. The Cubist aesthetic of Pablo Picasso is reflected in the prismatic surface structure of Lpertz' form, while Jasper John's penchant for painting bronze sculptures clearly served as a model for the German artist's own play of colour on the surfaces of his sculptures. Thus, although feet, legs and lower torso are clearly recognisable in Lpertz' sculpture, the work is better understood not as an imitation of nature, but rather as an exercise in sculptural and painterly conventions. As such, 'Standbein-Speilbein' clearly carries on the artist's earlier explorations of artistic conventions via traditional motifs, from his early 'Baumstmme' and 'Dithyrambe' of the late 1960's and early 1970's through the 'Stil-Techniken' of the late 1970's.