Controversy! Can you imagine the scandal? “Pfui Teufel,” some Leipzig citizens exclaimed in an anonymous letter. They were upset about the nude figures beside the statue. We are standing before the Schiller-Denkmal. It honors the famous German poet Friedrich Schiller.
This monument wasn’t always popular. Some people were scandalized by it. The Schiller-Denkmal is in the Lenné-Anlage near Schillerstraße. It’s a tribute to Schiller’s time and work in Leipzig.
Friedrich Schiller first came to Leipzig in 1785. He sought financial help. Gottfried Körner, a wealthy citizen, offered him support. This allowed Schiller the peace to create. He wrote “An die Freude” in a farmhouse in Leipzig-Gohlis. It became world-famous as the “Ode to Joy” in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
The Schiller-Denkmal wasn’t erected until after Schiller’s death in 1805. It was unveiled on May 9, 1914. This was just before World War I began. The monument features a bust of Schiller on a high stele. Two nude figures stand beside it. They represent sorrow and the sublime. Schiller gazes west towards the Deutsche Bank. His gaze is hollow and seems demonic. Some say this is because he was often short of money.
The style of the Schiller-Denkmal is similar to the Klinger monument. Both are made of white marble. They blend Jugendstil and Expressionism. Johannes Hartmann designed the Schiller-Denkmal. August Schmiemann, a student of Klinger, crafted it.
Hartmann also created the grave for Max Klinger. He later married Klinger’s widow. Hartmann’s role as executor caused disputes. Klinger’s siblings and daughter were left out of the inheritance.
The Schiller-Denkmal features a high marble pedestal. It has an inscription of Schiller’s name. Two nude marble figures flank the pedestal. A man symbolizes sublimity. A woman represents tragedy. The monument challenges the typical image of Schiller.
One Leipzig citizen wrote a letter. He was outraged by the nude figures. He compared them to Adam and Eve. Despite the initial controversy, the Schiller-Denkmal remains. It is a unique monument in Leipzig. It is one of the last monuments dedicated to Schiller in Germany. It also shows strong Jugendstil influences.
The Schiller-Denkmal invites us to reflect. It reminds us of Schiller’s genius. It also shows us the controversies that art can create.