The reading cabinet
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| The reading cabinet |
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| Johann Peter Hasenclever , 1843 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 71 × 100 cm |
| Old National Gallery |
The Reading Cabinet is a painting by the Düsseldorf painter Johann Peter Hasenclever from 1843. The 71 cm by 100 cm genre painting was made with oil paints on canvas. It reflects the political and cultural situation of the bourgeoisie in the time of the Vormärz . The painting is in the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, a smaller version hangs in the Remscheid Municipal Museum ( Cleff House in Remscheid-Hasten).
Historical environment
The picture depicts a scene in a reading cabinet in the time before the German Revolution of 1848/1849 , which is historically referred to as Vormärz . A map of the Balkans hangs on the back wall of the room shown . It refers to the revolts against the Ottoman Empire that broke out there again and again in the 1840s . Reading cabinets or reading societies had developed in Germany in the course of the Enlightenment . For the last third of the 18th century they are considered to be “central institutions for cultural mediation” and are still characteristic of the first half of the 19th century. They were created for the purpose of disseminating enlightened ideas through reading, lectures and political debates. As pillars of the “addiction to innovation” and the “revolutionary demon”, they were often defamed or even banned. A censor has also been placed in front of them to monitor the political spectrum of the newspapers they subscribe to. In the 19th century the character of reading societies changed increasingly. They opened up to a greater number of members and their sociable character increased.
When Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Of Prussia ascended the throne in 1840 , great hopes were attached to the change in the Rhineland , the home of the painter, with regard to the liberalization of political life, and even a constitution . In fact, some of the victims of the persecution of demagogues were rehabilitated. The espionage system has been eliminated. At Christmas 1841 there was a liberal censorship decree, which was accepted as a considerable step towards freedom of the press. But in January 1843, censorship was tightened again and a number of newspapers were banned, including the Rheinische Zeitung , which, thanks to the work of Ferdinand Freiligrath , Moses Hess , Georg Herwegh and the editor Karl Marx , had quadrupled its circulation within a year.
Image description and interpretation
The citizens in this picture are clearly interested in the wars of liberation in foreign countries, but forget their own immediate interests. In this sense , the scene of the chess players sitting by candlelight in an adjoining room could also be allegorical in the picture on the right. Through the game of chess, this scene makes the changeability and volatility of time an issue. This is underlined by the motif of the burning candle.
The picture makes clear reference to the “reading revolution” in Germany in the 19th century: the entire scene shows eleven people, seven of whom are seated around a table that is positioned in the center of the picture. The light beam from a gas lamp illuminates the table . The objects in the surrounding space, including the map in the background in the middle and the ornate candlesticks on the wall, can only be seen in outlines. Newspapers and readings are spread out on the well-lit table, some of which are read by the men pictured with great interest, but also with less devotion, such as the man in the right-hand section of the picture. The characters appear well-to-do according to their clothing. The bourgeoisie they represent shaped public opinion through discussions on political and cultural issues . The emerging “reading revolution” was a product of the new educational policy (introduction of compulsory schooling) and gave people the opportunity to deal with issues of society and the state. The persons depicted give more precise information about who this social change mainly affected. Only men are shown in the picture, which indicates that women had no real political say at that point in time. Everyone has a different facial expression. This can be understood as an indication that one did not immediately agree. Thus, the nature of the dispute is made clear in a discussion. The darkened room and the lamp in the middle, which only supplies the bare essentials with light, refer to the political and cultural situation of the bourgeoisie at the time the picture was taken, in 1843, when the media were subject to numerous censorships and the private salons thus served as private retreats for citizens.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Wolfgang Ruppert : Bürgerlicher Wandel , Frankfurt 1981
- ↑ Knut Soiné: Johann Peter Hasenclever , Neustadt an der Aisch, 1990