Grosz

by Lars Fiske

Nach Olaf Gulbransson und Kurt Schwitters ist Grosz die lang erwartete dritte Künstlerbiografie des norwegischen Autors Lars Fiske. George Grosz (1893–1959) war deutscher Dada-Künstler und Vertreter der Bewegung der Neuen Sachlichkeit. In dieser grafischen Biografie zeigen kantige Linien ein Leben im Berlin der 20er Jahre und len eine einzigartige Dynamik entstehen. Zwei Farben begleiten die Erzä Rot für Berlin, für Strenge und Ordnung, Grün für Jazz und den Rhythmus New Yorks, wo Grosz sein Exil verbrachte. Fiskes nachdenklicher Grosz ist weit entfernt von anderen Künstlerbiografien, ob in grafischer oder in Schriftform. Es ist ein Kunstwerk für sich.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Biography, Art

Hardcover

Published February 4, 2019

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You blessed world, you crazy freak show”--Grosz

“I am up to my neck in visions”--Grosz

So many biographies of artists seem unimaginative to me, just straightforward and typically. . . biographical. But here is a unique one, accomplished almost exclusively in images, of the German painter and cartoonist George Grosz, who was a well known chronicler of German life, a soldier who became disheartened with the military, and thereafter with his country, who turned to surrealism and dark satire and dada to critique society. It's still pretty much chronological but the Grosz-inspired art is terrific.

“Today the cleaning of a gun by a red soldier is of greater significance than the entire metaphysical output of all the painters.”

Here’s a little taste of what Lars Fiske does in this biography:

https://www.fantagraphics.com/grosz/

Here’s a sampling across a career of Grosz’s work:

https://www.artic.edu/artists/34753/g...

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a good job of telling the story of artist George Grosz using very few words and caricatural pen-and-ink drawings. The art style is somewhat similar to Grosz's own early style. The story spends the most time on his early years work in Germany, mostly Berlin, but also the army. Quick and easy to "read", and worth it even if you don't know anything about Grosz.

[Rick Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the artwork A LOT; consistent and playful while paying reverence to George Grosz' work. The dynamic nature of the drawings really lent an atmosphere of restlessness that I found exciting, AND exhausting. I liked the 'story', too, in that it really explored Grosz' life, relationships and influences. I would have appreciated an essay for context, or a deeper exploration through the drawing of Grosz' community and the Weimar Republic. The drawings do a lot of heavy lifting, but some words from Fiske on the connection to Grosz from our world would have been welcome.

*2022-Having just seen some beautiful work by Grosz in Berlin, I picked this up again to reread it...I'd give it a half star more, but I would still wish for some text to deepen the effort.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A predominately wordless (save some interstitial quotes) bio of Grosz with some unique Grosz-inspired art.

[Truls Haugen Sletvold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ble jo såvidt kjent med gubben før han falt ned trappa i klinkefylla :(

[Nestor B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiske uses his sharp, angular yet remarkably elegant linework to tell a wordless story about the Dadaist artist George Grosz. The result is a visual tour de force—an absolute pleasure to read, even for those unfamiliar with Grosz’s life and work.

Fiske’s distinctive style is on full display here, perfectly suited to capturing the chaotic energy and rebellious spirit of Grosz’s world. Without a single word, the book communicates mood, tension, and movement with remarkable clarity. It’s a testament to Fiske’s skill as a storyteller and a fitting homage to an artist who thrived on pushing boundaries.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you only have quotes (as chapter titles) to work with, you must interpret what you are seeing as narrative. I did it talking aloud- like "he's getting kicked out of the army" and such but I am sure I did not notice a tremendous amount and must have misinterpreted just as much.

NONETHELESS! It's a fun read. A sort of coaster winding the life of a wild man who is tremendously interesting and important to be known.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure exactly whats keeping me from liking this. I love Grosz and lord knows I've lifted things from him many times myself, but to do an entire project where you tell the story of Grosz leaving Deutschland and coming to America in his style just seems creepy somehow. Fiske does a very competent job of it mind you, just left me queasy...

[Stein Roar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Grosz" er Lars Fiskes imponerende tegneserie om den tyske kunstneren George Grosz. Grosz var en av grunnleggerne av dadaismen i Berlin sammen med John Heartfield. Det er et album med få ord, desto flere flotte tegninger om kunstnerens liv i Berlin og New York.

[Tod_de · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://tonguesofdestruction.de/review...