Lot 45 D

During the period before and after the First World War, sacred themes experienced a Renaissance, particularly among artists in the predominantly Catholic Rhineland. In these times defined by shocks and political upheaval, painters like Heinrich M. Davringhausen and Heinrich Nauen were seeking the primitive and, in doing so, drawing on old traditions not just thematically but also in terms of technique, by reviving the woodcut and reverse painting on glass.
Carlo Mense, who was also from the lower Rhine, did not remain untouched by this development either. After training at the Düsseldorf academy of art and in Lovis Corinth’s studio in Berlin, he also began painting Christian themes in 1913. He discovered reverse painting on glass before the First World War, and he also selected this technique for the impressive “Kreuzabnahme” from the artist’s estate.
Set before a menacingly black-and-grey background the bright, maltreated body of Christ stands out in the centre of the composition. With the help of Mary and the red-robed Apostle John, the body is being removed from the cross and mourned by the saints surrounding it. In contrast to standard practice, Mense has painted not just on the reverse side but also on the front of the glass. The contrast between the saturated colours behind the glass and the matt tones seen on the front provides the hilltops and halos with an unusual three-dimensionality and a fascinating effect. Sheets of glass painted on both sides are extremely rare – and not just for Mense.
In 2012 Mense’s “Kreuzabnahme” could be seen on loan in the major exhibition “El Greco and Modernism”. Comparing this “Kreuzabnahme” with the compositions of El Greco’s late period, such as his “Christ on the Cross” of 1613 or his “Crucifixion”, it becomes obvious how – in addition to the elongated figures and Biblical personages – the Spanish master has also provided Mense with orientation in terms of his choice of colours and use of light. The art of El Greco additionally reinforced the Rhineland expressionists in their development of their figures’ expressiveness.