The Fanatic 1979

"The Fanatic" (1979) by Konrad Klapheck is a photorealistic painting of a steam iron. The stark depiction of the everyday object, magnified and isolated against a green background, reflects Klapheck's signature style of Neue Sachlichkeit, or "New Objectivity," a movement that emerged in Germany in the 1920s and emphasized precise, objective portrayals of modern life. Klapheck's works often engage with the mundane and the absurd, creating a sense of both familiarity and unease in the viewer.