Auschwitz savior II 1951

Here we have what looks like a bronze sculpture of a figure with outstretched arms, made by Mathias Goeritz. I look at this figure and I wonder, was he thinking of crucifixion? Was he thinking of the avant-garde and its aspirations to imagine new kinds of humans? The surface is quite rough, which makes it feel raw. There is a kind of intense exposure there. I keep thinking about how to build up a surface, how to make something that feels both intentional and accidental. What kind of dialogue did Goeritz have with other sculptors? Artists are always looking at each other’s work, stealing ideas, building upon them, and reacting against them. It’s like a big, messy conversation that goes on for centuries! This piece is a reminder that art doesn’t offer some fixed point, rather it embodies our human condition in the face of horror, and, as such, embraces all the ambiguity and uncertainty.