Type: Limited edition prints
Size: 48cm x 33cm
Tirage: 50 copies
A detail of “The Genius of Victory” (Genius des Sieges) a statue by Adolf Wamper (1901 - 1977), created in 1940.
This portrayal of a strong young male wielding a sword with an imposing eagle at his feet is clearly inspired by the rising renewal of classicism.
Irit Rogoff, professor of Visual Culture at the University of London, writes beautifully on Wamper’s Genius of Victory:
“The sculpture suggests an exhortation to follow, to identify and join forces with the power symbolized. Gestures, which make an appeal to the spectator, are as frequent as the corresponding titles of the work. However, since the foe is neither named not depicted, such sculptures do hold a threat of a kind for those who are ‘not behind them.’ Above all, the muscular body -often colossal as here- and the one-dimensional expression of determination construct a basic image which is beyond the reach of the average spectator’s physique and psyche. He is denied any feeling of elation when contemplating such a work. Only the role of a vassal, devoid of self, is left to him.”
