Halbrunde Wandvorlage mit Atlanten-Konsole 

This is Karl Ballenberger’s study of an Atlas figure, created in the 19th century using graphite and watercolor. The Atlas motif, a figure burdened with a structural weight, echoes far beyond classical antiquity, resonating with ancient Greek mythology where Atlas bore the celestial sphere. This symbol of endurance and suffering finds echoes in other art, from Michelangelo's struggling figures to Rodin's "The Thinker", all wrestling with existential burdens. Such imagery taps into our collective unconscious, reflecting humanity’s eternal confrontation with its own burdens. We see this figure’s weary expression, the strain of holding up the column. It speaks to our primal anxieties about the weight of existence. The Atlas motif is not merely a classical reference but a perpetual symbol, ever resurfacing in our cultural psyche. It is a visual echo of our shared human condition of burden and resilience.