Oskar Schlemmer

Book excerpt: Oskar Schlemmer (1888 - 1943) was one of the most versatile all - rounders of the last century and as unusual as a painter as he was as a sculptor, draughtsman, graphic artist, stage designer, wall designer, creator of epochal dance projects and author. His vision was the "n ew" man living in functional architecture, thinking clearly and acting clearly in the modern age which would never again sink into the chaos of war. The catalogue accompanying the first comprehensive Schlemmer retrospective for almost forty years presents over 250 high - quality works, in particular the seven original costumes of the Triadisches Ballett (Triadic Ballet) together with rare documents of the time. The connection between the all - encompassing attempts at reform of the Bauhaus are discussed as well as Schlemmer's vain attempts to reconcile his "unpolitical" art with the Nazi dictatorship's ideas of state - controlled art. The focus will be directed towards Schlemmer's lofty ethical demands, which always regarded man, typified as a "Kunstfigur" (artist ic figure) as the "measure of all things".