Anton Grauel, Sämann

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				Price: on request

Description

‘Sämann’ (‘Sower’)
Biography: Anton Grauel

Displayed at the GDK 1939 room 19.
Displayed at the ‘Herbst-Ausstellung’, 1942, Preussische Akademie der Künste, Berlin.
Single unique cast, with the core still inside (see X-ray photos below).
‘Sämann’ is a typical theme of totalitarian art.

— displayed at the exhibition ‘Art in the Third Reich, Seduction and Distraction’, November 2023 – March 2024, Museum Arnhem, The Netherlands —

‘Sämann’ by Grauel, displayed at the exhibition ‘Art in the Third Reich, Seduction and Distraction’, Museum Arnhem, The Netherlands, November 2023 – March 2024. Photos: Eva Broekema.
   

‘Der Säman’ by Grauel, on German TV (ZDF/ 12 December 2023). ZDF Museum Arnhem (at 24.58 min.)

‘Sämann’ by Grauel, depicted in the exhibition catalog ‘Art in the Third Reich’ by Jelle Bouwhuis and Almar Seinen, 2023.

Anton Grauel, ‘Sämann‘ (‘Sower‘). GDK 1939 room 19.
  

Direct Lost-Wax Casting – the Single Unique Cast
In the direct lost-wax casting process (also named ‘cire perdue’), the sculptor begins by building a roughly modelled clay-core over a metal armature. The clay-core is baked to harden it and drive off moisture, and then a relatively thin layer of wax is applied that receives the detailing of anatomy, texture, facial features and signature. A mold is formed around the wax-model, when the mold is heated the wax melts and creates a space into which molten bronze is poured. Once the bronze is cast, the clay-core and armature can be removed to lessen the weight of the finished sculpture. Occasionally the core and armature rods are -in whole or in part- left inside the bronze. On sculptures meant to be placed outdoors, the clay-core and iron-armature are generally removed in order to avoid damage from absorption of water.
The direct lost wax technique allows the artist to cast directly off of the original model, and is ideal for wax models with complex surface textures as well as large and complex compositions. This casting method produces a Single Unique Cast from a Single Model (as opposed to one that is cast from a mold of an existing model). The original master model is lost in the casting process: producing more copies of the master model is impossible.
When X-ray photos show iron armature or internal frame inside the bronze, it is evident that the direct lost wax casting technique was used and that we have to do with the original cast/model.

Anton Grauel, ‘Sämann’. X-ray photos (2017). Clearly visible are the several iron wires from the core inside.
   

‘Sämann’ by Grauel, depicted in  ‘Der Schulungsbrief’, Berlin, VII. Jahrgang, 4. Folge, 1940.   

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