Thermopylae (Kokoschka)

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Thermopylae is a triptych painted by Oskar Kokoschka in 1954 . The picture, 225 cm × 800 cm in size, is painted with tempera on canvas. Philipp Fürchtegott Reemtsma and his wife Gertrud donated it to the University of Hamburg . It is located in the Philosophenturm in lecture hall D of the university.

Content and motif

The basis of the representation is the battle of Thermopylae . The center panel shows the time shortly before the fall of the Spartans. On the left edge sits the seer Megistus , who foresaw the downfall. The traitor Ephialtes can be seen under his arm as a fool. In the right part you can see the fight between Persians and Spartans . Above all stands the god Apollo . The panel on the left shows the King of the Spartans Leonidas saying goodbye to his wife and leaving his blooming homeland. On the right panel you can see the consequences of the defeat: the destruction of Athens . The woman with the chain and laurel wreath can be identified as the goddess Athena . The naval battle depicted in the background of the picture points to the future of the Persians. You will lose the battle of Salamis .

literature

  • Thermopylae. Oskar Kokoschka - A Great European, Geyerund Reisser, Vienna, 1998.
  • Thermopylae, Oskar Kokoschka, Reclam, Stuttgart, 1954.
  • Kokoschka: Life and work in data and images, with texts by Oskar Kokoschka, Ed. Norbert Werner, ISBN 978-3458326090 .
  • Oskar Kokoschka. Life and Work, Heinz Spielmann, Dumont, 2005, ISBN 978-3832173203 .
  • Katja Schneider , Stefan Lehmann (Eds.), Oskar Kokoschkas Antike. A European vision of modernity. With contributions by R. Bonnefoit, A. and D. Furtwängler, A. Gutsfeld. St. Lehmann, Chr. Mileta, H. Spielmann, P. Weidmann. Hirmer Verlag, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-7774-2581-8 .