Monkey with skull
Monkey with skull (also monkey looking at a skull ) is a 30 cm large, all-view bronze sculpture by the German sculptor Hugo Rheinhold . The sculpture represents the final thesis of his sculpture studies in 1892 and is also his most famous work. It was first shown in 1893 at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition .
description
The sculpture shows a chimpanzee sitting on a pile of books and looking at a human skull. He holds it in his right hand, the left is placed on his chin in a thoughtful pose. The monkey looks curiously, questioningly and studying towards the skull. He is completely absorbed in his contemplation, but seems to be in dialogue with the skull. A scene that also recalls the events in the Hamlet cemetery (5th act, 1st scene) or the bronze sculpture The Thinker by Auguste Rodin . In addition, the monkey with skull shows some elements from the research area. So the chimpanzee clutching his right foot calipers as in the field of craniometry is known, and the pile of books to literature is the scientist Darwin . In addition to the scientific aspects, religious aspects are also represented, and a Bible that is open to the viewer shows the Vulgate quote "eritis sicut deus ..." (Latin: you will be like God ...) ( Gen 3.5 LUT ). It is taken from the context of the Fall, in which the serpent says this to Adam and Eve before they both eat from the tree of knowledge , which leads to the expulsion from Paradise. The Bible page seems to be torn in half because the second part of the quotation "... scientes bonum et malum" (Latin ... knowing good and bad) is missing.
Detail: human skull
Detail: pensive pose
Detail: pile of books and research literature
Detail: Bible quote
interpretation
The bronze sculpture of a monkey with a skull is under the sign of science and Darwinism and addresses the conflict with Christianity and the history of creation . Darwin's theories about evolution polarized society and heated people up at the end of the 19th century. One might wonder whether Rheinhold was also an opponent of Darwinism and whether his work is a satire on the theory of descent; however, there is no evidence of this.
The stack of books stands for the knowledge that people have acquired over millennia, the measuring circle can be seen as a symbol for research and the biblical quote represents the church, which has been in conflict with research and science on several occasions. In addition, Rheinhold chose the chimpanzee as the main element of his sculpture, the closest relative of humans. He shows the primate as equal to or even superior to humans. These elements suggest that Rheinhold was dealing with the theory of descent, as also occurs at the same time in Gabriel von Max 's work, for example in the painting Monkey in front of a skeleton .
The quotation from the Bible "eritis sicut deus" could represent the dichotomy between religion and the theory of evolution, but it could also be traced back to the monkey as a symbol of the devil and the fall of man. In addition, the saying “You will be like God (knowing good and bad)” allows for further interpretations. Rheinhold, as an active pacifist, may have issued an “early warning about the ethics of science” by attempting to show that man behaves like God but ignores good and bad - this part of the quote is left out by Rheinhold - and ultimately himself about it goes to ruin. The skull as a vanitas motif supports this assumption. In addition, the monkey may be shown as a purer and more original form, which in the end triumphs over humans. However, this interpretation is extremely speculative.
Another vanitas motif is the association with the cemetery scene from Hamlet. In Act 5, Scene 1, Hamlet ponders the meaning of life when the skull of the former court jester Yorick falls into his hands. This unambiguous symbol for the transience of life is an additional indication of the powerlessness of man towards life.
Motivation and role models
It is unclear which motifs and models inspired Hugo Rheinhold for his plastic monkey with skull . However, it is often mentioned in connection with Rodin's Thinker . Perhaps Rheinhold was inspired by the topic of "dealing with it". However, unlike The Thinker , the monkey is not concerned with his own world of thoughts, but rather carefully studies a human skull. In addition, Rodin is not considered to be the inventor of this thoughtful pose, but rather Michelangelo , who created the sculpture Il Pensiero at the beginning of the 16th century as a funeral monument for the Duke of Urbino Lorenzo di Piero de 'Medici . In addition, the Thinker was created between 1880 and 1882, but was not presented to the public until 1888. The plastic monkey with skull was created almost parallel to it and was shown for the first time in 1893 at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition . So it cannot be said for sure whether Hugo Rheinhold was actually inspired by Rodin's bronze sculpture.
The Thinker in front of the Musée Rodin in Paris
Michelangelo, funerary monument of Lorenzo de 'Medici (Duke of Urbino)
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Provenance
The monkey with skull drew the attention of the Berlin foundry Hermann Gladenbeck & Sohn during the Great Berlin Art Exhibition, which acquired the original sculpture on site and secured the right of reproduction. The foundry's reproductions were sold all over the world and ended up in private hands as well as museums and other public institutions. So received z. B. Lenin presented this sculpture in 1922 as a gift from the American industrialist and art collector Armand Hammer and placed it on his desk in the Kremlin , where it could still be seen in 1991.
literature
- Vernon Reynolds: Hugo's Philosophical Ape. In: IPPL News , Vol. 35, No. 2 (September 2008), pp. 16-18.
- Jochen Richter, Axel Schmetzke: The philosophical monkey and the owl of Minerva. In: Horst Kant, Annette Vogt (ed.): From the history and theory of science. Hubert Laitko on his 70th birthday. Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-929134-49-7 , pp. 11–32.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ judge Jochen and Schmetzke, Axel. 2005. p. 18 f.
- ↑ a b Reynolds, Dr. Vernon. 2008. p. 17
- ↑ judge Jochen and Schmetzke, Axel. 2005. p. 19
- ↑ judge Jochen and Schmetzke, Axel. 2005. p. 20
- ↑ judge Jochen and Schmetzke, Axel. 2005. p. 22
- ↑ judge Jochen and Schmetzke, Axel. 2005. p. 13
- ↑ Gordan Morgan, Roberta and Moore, Adam GN: Hugo Rheinhold's Monkey ( Memento of the original of February 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Boston Medical Library, accessed March 17, 2013.
