Did you notice how this figure gazes skyward? This is the Hommage an August Macke Statue. It stands as a tribute to the expressionist painter August Macke. He called Bonn home during his school years. He also lived here again from 1910.
This sculpture provides a contemporary monument to Macke. The Hommage an August Macke Statue is a modern take on traditional monuments. It features a larger-than-life bronze figure. The figure stands on a stepped base. A canopy shelters him. The focus isn’t on Macke’s physical appearance. Instead, it highlights the image he created of the world. He conveyed this image in his paintings.
The figure wears a timeless costume. He sports a white shirt and black trousers. Stephan Balkenhol, the sculptor, placed the figure on a three-tier base. This makes him resemble many other nameless figures he has created. Only a moustache identifies the honored painter. Also a certain similarity to surviving portrait photos helps.
The pavilion roof plays a vital role. It is inlaid with glass in strong, clear colors. The figure raises his eyes to it. He seems to perceive his own intensely luminous world. He sees it through the filter of light. Perhaps he doesn’t see the possibly grey reality around him.
The Hommage an August Macke transcends the individual. It is dedicated to the seeker and the visionary. It celebrates artistic thinking itself. The private Bonn-based Foundation for Art and Culture realized this homage. It was the fourth art project in public space for the City of Bonn.
Stephan Balkenhol created this work for Bonn’s public space. It celebrates the memory of August Macke. It is the first monument ever built in his honor. Macke spent his artistically formative years in Bonn. He created many of his seminal works here. Bonn also houses a museum dedicated to showcasing his art.
The 4.5-meter-high pavilion is publicly accessible. It features a glass roof. Inside, stands an oversized bronze sculpture. It is a prototype of Balkenhol’s universe of figures. An ageless man stands clad in black trousers and a white shirt. He exudes an inner tranquility. He is devoid of any suggestion of movement or narrative attributes.
Balkenhol’s human figures are characteristically neutral. They are undefined. Their quintessential core always remains concealed. A thin moustache alludes to our traditional image of August Macke. Rather than reducing the painter to his physique, Balkenhol commemorates his work. The colored sky is the actual centerpiece of the sculpture.
Balkenhol said his challenge was to give sculptural expression to Macke’s approach to his art. He didn’t want to fashion a naturalistic portrait. He wanted to highlight the quintessence of his painting. Namely light and color.
As the figure gazes into the firmament, he places himself in relation to the world. Here stands August Macke. He is a painter and a seeker. Stephan Balkenhol is also here. He is an artist and a human being. He is an everyman. Thus Macke is a projection screen for myriad associations. He is not just a mere representation.
Notice how the Hommage an August Macke Statue captures the essence of artistic vision. It’s a fitting tribute to a great artist who once walked these very streets.