Song of Songs IV, 1 by Paul Wunderlich
Paul Wunderlich 1927-2010
Paul Wunderlich is a German surrealist artist. He worked in many media including painting, sculpture and graphic arts. He was one of the founders of the school of Magic (or Magical) Realism, a movement in literature and art that depicts the real world that includes fantastic or magical elements. Wunderlich often drew on mythological or Biblical themes for his art. Wunderlich studied graphic art at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. He later studied printmaking with the German expressionists Emil Nolde and Oskar Kokoschka. Initially working with abstract imagery, in the post-war period he began to incorporate figural elements which gradually came to dominate his work. He also began to incorporate nudes and erotic imagery, although these were rendered in a surreal manner, where he distorted, elongated, and even dismembered the figures. His printmaking technique favors a diffuse matte-like surface creating an atmospheric impression that enhanced the dream-like nature of his subject matter. Even so, the underlying realism can lead to disturbing scenes. For example, his lithographic series Qui s’explique was confiscated by the authorities for a time. His distinctive style led to him being awarded the Japan Cultural Forum Award (1964), the Gold Medal in Florence (1970), Gold Medals at the Grafik-Biennale in Taiwan and in Bulgaria (1978), and the Kunstpreis des Landes Schleswig-Holstein (1986). In addition to his art, he was also a professor at the Hochschule für bildende Künste. He had numerous solo and group shows throughout his career, including major retrospectives in Japan in the 1990s. His work is held in many major collections including the Tate, the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, and the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart among others.
Song of Songs Which is Solomon’s
Given Wunderlich’s subject matter preferences, it is no surprise that he was drawn to the sensual poem, the Song of Songs, attributed to King Solomon. In 1969 he created ten lithographs based on verses from the Song of Songs which were published in a portfolio in 1970. The portfolio was printed in Paris by Fequet et Baudier and the lithographs were printed at the Atelier Edmond et Jacques Desjobert. They are loose and the sheet size is 20.75 x 25.75 inches. A total of 480 signed and numbered portfolios were published, 310 in English (numbered 1-310), 100 in German (numbered D 1-d 100) constitute the principal edition, with another 50 in English (I – L) and 20 in German (LI – LXX) in an additional suite. Ten additional copies annotated A – J were reserved for the collaborators. These lithographs were drawn from the second English suite numbered XLV.
This lithograph is one of nine available. The portfolio cover images are included for documentation but are not included with the lithograph. If you are interested in purchasing the portfolio cover, or interested in purchasing all nine lithographs, plus the portfolio cover, please contact me directly for the pricing.
IV, 1 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead. (trans. New International Version)
Price: $325
Size: 20.75 x 25.75 inches
Plate Size: 17.75 x 23.5 inches
Condition: Excellent
Medium: Lithograph
Subject: Surrealism
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