The Avenger at the Tate Modern

May 24, 2011

The Tate Modern in London

The fluid cape, the outstretched run, the terror stricken face. 'The Avenger' was mesmerizing. At first glance, he looks as if he is avenging a loved one- maybe his daughter, wife, sister, mother. But on closer inspection, it is found that he was sculpted by German nationalist Ernst Barlach in 1914. This pro-war sculpture seems contradictory because of the really extreme emotion on the man's face. This emotion is what struck me most, because in many modernist paintings and sculptures, the true meaning is not readily understandable- the reader/viewer must grapple with the meaning of the image. I think in this sculpture, the emotion cast in bronze contrasts with the fierceness of his weapon, a sword. The very obvious emotion is itself a mystery. The sculptor was aware of the trenches- I believe that the emotion is a mixed one; love for his country and fear and dread of the trenches. the conflict was not about the fighting itself- it seemed that the conflicted mind is pro-defense, pro patriotism, but shocked and afraid of the new warfare tactics. It's as if the modernists' distaste for the city and war are the same, and this man is possibly a new thinker who was not a conscientious objector to war. It would be interesting to see the sculptor's history. His views may have changed after seeing the terror of trench warfare.

The fluidity of the sculpture was wonderful as well. If the face draws you in, the cape flowing behind him keeps your eye there and draws your gaze to the very tip of the sculpture, where his bare foot is up after bounding with his other. The cape and pointed foot elongate the sculpture, making his run even more crazed and intense than before. The fact that he is barefoot is odd- for a war sculpture, you'd imagine it would be a depiction of warfare itself, with a pair of boots, a uniform, and maybe a helmet. But this man has a sorrowful, angry face with tears, a long cape, and a sword, which is a bit antiquated. Is it possible that the sculptor is sad at the new technology and wishes for the old war tactics? If so, that seems Victorian, but then again, the dignity and respect that is present in older warfare and Victorian times is lost, and this desire for both a German win and a return to dignity and respect for others is the conflict that the sculpture is meant to display. If so, this sculptor seems to understand the power of a tear on a man's face.