Bridgeman Education : Berlin 1936

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BERLIN 1936
Artist: Franz Wurbel, Berlin based painter and graphic designer Dimensions: Posters 101x63cm Fliers 25,5x39 cm Print run: posters 243.000; Fliers 33.000; 19 languages Technique: Colour lithograph

To represent Berlin the artist, Franz Wurbel, has chosen one of its most famous sculptures: the Quadriga from the Brandenburg Gate. Behind it an athlete, wearing a crown of laurels and haloed by Olympic rings, raises his right arm in the Olympic salute. The drawing is made up of planes of strong colour. Volume and mass are created by shadows in the same colours. 1. The five rings stands for the five continents and they are interlaced to demonstrate the universal aspect of the Olympic Games as well as the coming together of athletes from across the world. On the Olympic flag itself the rings stand on a white background. Combined in this manner, the six colours of the flag (blue, yellow, black, green, red and white) represent all nations. Placed above the man's head, the rings cast a halo of Olympic values over the athletes in the same way that saints are haloed (see image below in slideshow). 2. The athlete wears the laurel wreath crown, symbol of victory in Antiquity (see the image at the bottom of the page).

3. The right arm of the athlete is raised in the Olympic salute. This ritual was instigated at the Antwerp Games of 1920. Based on the Roman salute, the athlete bends his right arm before extending it. It was also in Antwerp where athletes swore an oath, the Olympic flag was raised and doves released in the stadium for the first time as a symbol of peace. The sportsman has the physique of a mythical hero. Franz Wurbel probably drew inspiration from Greek statues. During Antiquity, developing your body went hand in hand with developing the mind in order to maintain balance and harmony. Diadumenos, copy of the sculpture by Polyclitus, 420 BC. Athlete in the process of knotting the victory band around his head. The sculpture illustrates the mathematical theories on the proportions of the human body developed by Praxiteles. The golden tones of the poster refer to victory and recall the gold medal given to the winners. Just as the Olympic rings remind us the haloes of saints, the golden background suggest the gold ground used to give sacred meaning to a scene in Medieval imagery. 4. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with the Quadriga at its apex (see the image at the bottom of the page in the slideshow). The goddess of Victory stands on her chariot drawn by four horses. Chariot racing was one of the sports of the Games in Antiquity. The wreath crown of Victory is usually carried by the goddess. In Berlin it has been replaced by the eagle, the symbol of Germany's strength. 5. The country is mentioned before the city. The typography is based on Roman characters.

Composition The ring and the athlete are placed in a vertical axis. The athlete stands above the city in a position of dominance, giving him a sense of power. The poster is divided into two equal parts: the top part is dedicated to the athlete and the bottom part to the city. The whole poster is linked together by the oblique angles that make up a V, as in victory. The perspective draws the eye to the top of the composition. Even though you can only see the man's shoulder you can tell that he is giving the

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03/02/13 13:55

Bridgeman Education : Berlin 1936

http://www.bridgemaneducation.com/OlympicsPoster.aspx?page...

the image of the Quadriga such as the ones below for inspiration: the one in London the one on the coin showing Nike, Goddess of Victory the one in the painting by Ingres Through what image would you like to communicate the Olympic values of the 2012 Games: Aiming for excellence Showing respect Celebrate friendship

View of the Brandenburg Gate from the East (photo) . ( ? - 1900)

ry, 1815 (oil on canvas) erhard von (1772 - 1820)

Not a valid BAL Ed Image. Here's the Mona Lisa instead.

Not a valid BAL Ed Image. Here's the Mona Lisa instead.

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Bridgeman Education - Art History - Culture

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03/02/13 13:55