The artist’s original intent is to highlight the work process in his pieces by practicing simplicity to reveal natural complexity and beauty. Ruckriem uses various, somewhat archaic, techniques to modify natural rock to allow viewers to see his interactions with the material.

Ulrich Ruckriem (1938 – Present)

The artist worked as a stone-mason at Cologne Cathedral from age 21 to age 23 and the experience has influenced his sculpture work. One year later, he traveled through areas of Southern Europe and North Africa. After a year of travel he returned to Norvenich Germany to become a sculptor. Ruckriem focused on the medium and the process of creating art, he was fascinated with manipulating stones and raw material to create sculptures. Ruckriem successfully had his first solo exhibition at the age of 25 and went on to be a successful well known artist. Today he is known for his work created between the 1970s and modern day. Most of his sculptures emphasize simplicity and are created from archaic manipulations of stone by combining simple cutting, drilling,polishing,placement and splitting techniques. Ulrich creates his sculptures after choosing specific stones from quarries. Ulrich accentuates the process of creating by showing his engagement with the material of natural stone.

The year of 1989: 

Locally: Within Berlin, at antifascist wall to prevent the Western german “fascists” from entering the East. The year the sculpture “untitled” was created was 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that German Democratic Republic citizens could freely pass the border at which point some people began to chip away at the wall to celebrate the fall of the wall. The Berlin Wall is a historical symbol of the Cold War era.

Nationally: As a nation, Germany was under pressure to reform, massive anti-government demonstrations occurred throughout cities including East Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden. Soon after, GDR government members resign and a few months later, over 100 artists from different countries gathered to create the East Side Gallery along a section of the wall.

Internationally: Globally, technology was quickly advancing with the Intel microprocessor allowing the release of microsoft office applications for the computer. Also in 1989, the U.S.S.R pulled out of Afghanistan, protests in China and Czechoslovakia occur, the civil war in Lebanon rages on and the Tokyo Stock Market Crashes. In the U.S, NASA launched the galileo spacecraft and Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil.

Our interpretation of Untitled; 

Our interpretation includes use of drawing, water coloring, and digital manipulations. Using these methods, our group worked together to create a comic book like chapter which represents Ulrich’s sculpture. The interpretation incorporates ideas of nature and the Berlin Wall which is reflective of Ulrich’s motive.

Credits: 

Korena Price: Illustrator & Creative Lead

Royhon Agostine: Digital Editor & Research

Crista Blowers: Admin & Blog Creator

Bibliography

“Audio interpretation of Untitled”. Western Gallery. https://westerngallery.wwu.edu/sculpture/untitled-1

“Berlin Wall Timeline.” The German Way & More, WordPress, 2018, www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/germany/history-of-germany/berlin-wall-timeline/.

Buchardt, Thomas. Arbeiten in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Kerber, 2011.

Pearson, Steve. “The Year 1989 From The People History.” The People History, 2016, www.thepeoplehistory.com/1989.html

Woitschützke, Irmgard R. “Sculpture Halls Ulrich Rückriem.” Rheinische Art, KulturMagazin, 2012,www.rheinische-art.de/cms/topics/stille.-die-skulpturen-hallen-ulrich-rueckriem-in-sinsteden-kulturzentrum-rhein-kreis-neuss.php.