Image of Hope
1974 | Cat. No. 232 | Welded bronze plates | Height of figure I 217 cm | Height of figure II 308 cm | Height of figure III 210 cm
Inscription on the torso:
Figure I:
EGG FIGURE – SYMBOL OF HOPE – YOU ALL-ROUND VESSEL OF MYSTERIOUSLY RENEWING BEING.
Figure II:
IMAGE OF HOPE / O HOPE! DEAR ONE, BUSY WITH KINDNESS! YOU WHO WILL NOT SCORN THE MOURNER’S HOUSE – GLADLY YOU SERVE US, NOBLE ONE – WORKING BETWEEN MORTALS AND HIGH GODS – WHERE ARE YOU? HÖLDERLIN
In his late works after 1974, especially in the Image of Hope, Kirchner no longer refers primarily to biblical stories and figures, but to emotional states or abstract concepts. At the highest point of the Burgberggarten, which offers far-reaching views over the city, stands the Group of Three. There are two female figures with a male figure stood between them. They are at different stages of standing up and are thus symbolically transcending illness and death. Their egg-shaped bodies refer to the universal form of life – in Christian iconography the egg is used as a symbol of resurrection and hope. The gesture of the raised arms expresses courage and hope as well as confidence in the future. The artist’s inspiration for creating the Group of Three was the apocalyptic end of the war and the subsequent reconstruction.
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