Figure Studies Gm-00006001

Adolf von Menzel (German, 1815–1905) In 1872 Adolf von Menzel spent several weeks in the vast smelting works in Königshütte, Upper Silesia, watching and recording German workers go about the hot, gritty work of iron production. While there he produced numerous studies for his painting The Iron Rolling Mill of 1875, which was one of the first depictions of the modern industrial worker. The careful modeling and detailing suggest that Menzel composed this drawing not on the spot but after some reflection.

Both the shifting, fractured quality of the shadows and the roughness of the carpenter's pencil enhance the sense of the worker's heavy, physical labor. The large size and powerful stance of the figure might reflect Menzel's view of the worker as an almost mythical hero, integral to the advancement and progress of modern society.

This drawing and the final painting were applauded for capturing the spirit of the age: the German people's national pride and excitement as their homeland's economy began its shift from agriculture to industry. Within a single generation Germany would become a powerful industrial state, generating wealth from coal and iron and factory production.

We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.

Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.

Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.

Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..

Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.

Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.

Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)

All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.

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Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.