- Title
- The Orator
- Date Made
- circa 1920
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 65 × 84 3/4 × 1 3/4 in. (165.1 × 215.27 × 4.45 cm)
- Accession Number
- 86.4
- Collecting Area
- Modern Art
- Curatorial Notes
Magnus Zeller was among the second generation of German Expressionist artists who came of age at the end of World War I. As Germany’s defeat in the war and the subsequent downfall of the monarchy brought on a nationwide revolution, those eager for dramatic political change were optimistic. Artists believed they would play an important role in building a better society and joined together in groups such as the Working Council for Art. Idealism gave way to disillusionment as the revolution grew violent and the new republican government failed to realize its lofty ambitions. In The Orator, Zeller portrays the religious dimension of modern politics, which incites ecstatic devotion in its followers. The charismatic speaker, more preacher than politician, may have been inspired by the Communist leader Karl Liebknecht, who Zeller saw in Berlin before Liebknecht’s murder by right-wing forces in 1919.
Wall label, 2021.
- Provenance
The artist (1888-1972). Private collection ( possibly Mrs. Bachman’s Uncle, her mother’s older brother). Dr. and Mrs. Henry Bachman, Missouri; sold in 1986 toLACMA.
- Selected Bibliography
Barron, Stephanie et al., German Expressionism 1915-1925: The Second Generation. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1988.
- Copyright
- © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
