Reduced and smoothed, see the Stehender Jüngling before you. This bronze sculpture stands in the green spaces of Krügers Redder. It is located in Hamburg’s Bramfeld district.
The Stehender Jüngling was created by Karl-Heinz Krause in 1963. Notice the low octagonal base and small plinth supporting the sculpture. Krause’s focus is evident in the constructed posture. The figure features crossed legs and arms angled differently.
The Stehender Jüngling is defined by constant changes in direction. Diagonal lines form open spaces in its posture. The sculpture has a dancer-like lightness. This is emphasized by the young man’s slender silhouette.
Karl-Heinz Krause was born in Angermünde on June 25, 1924. He began studying at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin in 1947. There, he learned graphic techniques under Heinrich Ilgenfritz. From 1948 to 1954, he studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Maximilian Debus and Oskar Bangemann were his teachers. Renée Sintenis and Richard Scheibe also taught him.
Krause worked as a freelance sculptor in Berlin starting in 1954. In 1959, he received the Georg Kolbe Prize from the city of Berlin. His work combined human form with geometry and physics. From 1965, he lived and worked in Mainz. In 1987, he was a guest of honor at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome. He also stayed at the Villa Romana in Florence several times. Krause exhibited his work nationally and internationally. These locations included Basel, Bern and New York. Also Neu-Delhi, Paris, Antwerpen, Stockholm and Helsinki. Karl-Heinz Krause died in Mainz on July 28, 2019.
The Stehender Jüngling is similar to another Krause sculpture. That one is the Liegende in Barmbek. The Stehender Jüngling represents art in urban space. It is a naturalist depiction of a man. The bronze material gives it a timeless quality. The sculpture invites viewers to contemplate the human form. Its stylized posture creates a sense of movement and balance. The Stehender Jüngling remains a significant work. It showcases Krause’s unique artistic vision.