Aziluth
While Kiefer’s provocative and poetic works have often confronted the horrific past of his native country, his iconography has expanded over the years to encompass more universal themes of civilization, culture, and spirituality. His sources draw upon the mystical scriptures of Kabbala, alchemy, and ancient myth. The artist’s interest in these subjects and their interconnections grew after a 1984 trip to Israel. The title of this work references Aziluth, the highest of the four planes of existence, in which the Kabbalistic Tree of Life exists. That name is inscribed on the top, while around the hovering stair form are the names of the other worlds as they descend in order to the earthly realm.
Artwork Details
- Title: Aziluth
- Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
- Date: 2004
- Medium: Opaque watercolor and graphite on joined gelatin silver photograph
- Dimensions: 42 15/16 × 32 11/16 in. (109 × 83 cm)
- Classifications: Drawings, Paintings, Photographs
- Credit Line: Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.401.2
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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