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Artist
Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel was born on December 8, 1815 in Breslau. He died on February 9, 1905 in Berlin. He was gentled in 1898. Von Menzel counts as the most significant realists of the 19th Century. He was a painter, sketch artist and illustrator and was already very popular during his lifetime. One appreciates him especially because of his historical portrayals, notably the life of Friedrich the Great. Also his works of art from the then modern time were impressive. He conveyed the life in Prussia by using the diversity of his work.
Artwork
The Steel Rolling Mill was created between 1872 and 1875. It measures 254 x 158 cm (width x height). For the preparation of this painting, Adolph Menzel travelled to Königshütte in Oberschlesien to sketch the local working procedures and conditions. The “United Königs- and Laurahütte” was located in Königshütte. It was a stock company, founded in 1871 by several factories, for mining and smelting works. The head office was situated in Berlin. Königshütte was one of the first steam powered smelting works in Europe. The 1802 built broached smelting furnace was the biggest in Europe.
Brief description
The portrayed interaction between man and machine impresses the observer in particular. Massive driving wheels, pistons, rollers, a variety of cables and connections, in between a great number of people manually operating the necessary machines. The picture almost looks like a swarm of ants. Around six men are standing in the centre of the picture. They are inserting glowing iron, with the help of big tongs, into the roller. They are forming a kind of symbiotic relationship with the roller. They equip it and then the roller processes it further. A group of men stand on the other side and receive the processed metal. One is tangible with the other. On the right edge of the picture, you see a woman bringing men a meal for their break. She is the only one to have eye contact with the observer. On the left side one sees some workers cleaning themselves. A man in the background, who is not working on the machines, is apparently controlling and supervising the procedures. Menzel didn’t paint the picture to criticize the working conditions but rather to show the procedures in an industrialized daily work routine.
Genre & Material
Paiting of Realism. Painted with oil on a canvas.
Where can I find this in Berlin?
In the Alten Nationalgalerie on the Museuminsel, Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin-Mitte. To find out how to get there, please click the link below the description
The portrayed interaction between man and machine impresses the observer in particular. Massive driving wheels, pistons, rollers, a variety of cables and connections, in between a great number of people manually operating the necessary machines. The picture almost looks like a swarm of ants.
Around six men are standing in the centre of the picture. They are inserting glowing iron, with the help of big tongs, into the roller. They are forming a kind of symbiotic relationship with the roller. They equip it and then the roller processes it further. A group of men stand on the other side and receive the processed metal. One is tangible with the other.
On the right edge of the picture, you see a woman bringing men a meal for their break. She is the only one to have eye contact with the observer. On the left side one sees some workers cleaning themselves. A man in the background, who is not working on the machines, is apparently controlling and supervising the procedures. Menzel didn’t paint the picture to criticize the working conditions but rather to show the procedures in an industrialized daily work routine.
Hier geht es zu dem Museum in Berlin, in dem Sie dieses Meisterwerk finden
ART@Berlin: Adolph Menzel – Steel Rolling Mill
