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Strike

1985
Not on view
Kiefer discovered lead as an artistic medium while repairing an old washing machine. It appealed to the artist because of its different applications, whether by alchemists who try to turn it into gold or by medical professionals who use it to protect patients from the harmful effects of X-rays. In Strike, Kiefer combined lead with a photograph made from exposed film that he had deliberately left too long in the fixative bath during the development process, partially destroying its emulsion and producing streaks. He aligned the lead cloud form with one of those streaks, creating a kind of lightning bolt that links the sky and the nearly abstract landscape.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Strike
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1985
  • Medium: Lead, shellac, synthetic adhesive and graphite on photograph, mounted on canvas
  • Dimensions: 23 1/4 x 31 3/4 in. (59.1 x 80.6 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.39
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Anselm Kiefer
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Morgenthau Plan, Anselm Kiefer German, Acrylic, emulsion, oil, and shellac on inkjet prints mounted on canvas
Morgenthau Plan
Anselm Kiefer
2012
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom, Anselm Kiefer German, Gouache, sand, ash and charcoal on two torn and pasted photographs
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom
Anselm Kiefer
2000
Autumn Forest, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor, opaque watercolor, and graphite on papers
Autumn Forest
Anselm Kiefer
1970
Wild Emperor, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor and acrylic on paper
Wild Emperor
Anselm Kiefer
1975
Brünnhilde's Death, Anselm Kiefer German, India ink, watercolor, and acrylic on joined paper
Brünnhilde's Death
Anselm Kiefer
1976

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