Ernst Barlach
German, 1870 – 1938
Der Geistkämpter (Champion of the Spirit), 1928
Bronze, 45 5/8 x 21 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches
Museum Purchase
1960.4.6

Ernst Barlach presents a winged being with a raised sword, standing on the back of a wolf-like beast. In a letter written in 1928, he described the meaning of the title. The figure represents the individual overcoming adversity. In an upward separation from the "earthly horizontal," the human spirit is "exalted above suffering." Having experienced the horrors of World War I, Barlach became a dedicated pacifist. He conceived many of his sculptures, like Der Geistkämpter, as war memorials. This bronze is one of at least three known casts of Der Geistkämpter. Monumental versions of it were also produced and installed in Germany in the cities of Kiel and Berlin. One casting was hidden during World War II to avoid its destruction by the Nazi regime, which condemned modern art.

Barlach created wood and bronze sculptures that recall the boldness and simplicity of early Gothic art. His powerful and expressive figures, often wrapped in heavy robes, evoke spiritual redemption. In addition to his sculptures, which made him the most prominent German sculptor of the early twentieth century, Barlach created a large and significant body of woodcuts and lithographs. He was also a noted playwright and novelist, esteemed as highly for his writings as for his accomplishments in the visual arts.