3 Skills How to analyse historical paintings M8

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The German Empire 1871–1890
Skills
1871
1890
M8 Prussia’s new coat of arms
French caricature, 1871.
How to analyse historical paintings
coat of arms: Wappen
Working vocabulary
Political systems
•to elect (wählen)
•to appoint s.b. as s.th. (jmdn. zu etw.
ernennen)
•to dismiss s.b. (jmdn. (aus seinem
­politischen Amt) entlassen)
•to convene a meeting of ministers
(ein Ministertreffen einberufen)
•to dissolve parliament (das Parlament
auflösen)
•to preside over a meeting/conference
(einer Sitzung/Konferenz vorsitzen)
•to approve of s.th. (etw. zustimmen)
•to submit a bill (einen G
­ esetzentwurf
einbringen)
•to reject an application (einen Antrag
ablehnen)
•to pass a law (ein Gesetz verab­­schie­
den)
•to conduct negotiations (Verhandlungen führen)
•to command (befehlen)
M7 Bismarck is a despot
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mined by the dumbest thing there is,
Theodor Fontane (1819–1898) was an im- by parliamentary majorities2, then we
portant German novelist. He wrote the wouldn’t even have a chancellor yet, and
following letter to a German diplomat least of all a German Reich. On the other
in France named Count Philipp zu Eu- 10 hand, it is certainly true that only delenburg-Hertefeld in 1881.
pendent characters or figures of the secThe Chancellor [Bismarck] is a despot1; ond and third rank can serve under such
but he has the right to be one, indeed, a despot, and that any free man would
he must be one. If he were not a des- be well advised to resign3 in good time.
pot, if he were an ideal parliamentar- 15 In doing so, the free man does what is
ian who allowed his course to be deter- right for him; but the Chancellor also
does what is right for him in not allowing himself to be swayed4 in his actions
or inaction.
1. Analyse and explain the constitution
of the German Empire (author’s text
p. 46, M3). Which elements are authoritarian? Which are parliamentarian?
5. Outline and explain the role of Bismarck in the process of German unification (M1, M2, author’s text p. 44).
Then comment on the view of Theodor
Fontane (M7).
2. Describe what German contemporaries thought about the unification of
the German Empire and its constitution (M4, M5, M6). Outline the differing opinions.
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3. What does Bebel (M5) mean when
he claims that ‘the sabre joined the
birth of the “empire” as its obstetrician’? Analyse Bebel’s opinion on the
foundation of the Empire and comment on it.
4. Explain how French contemporaries perceived the German unification
(author’s text p. 46, M8).
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_
document.cfm?document_id=1836 (15/5/2009)
1 despot: Tyrann |2 parliamentary majorities:
parlamentarische Mehrheiten |3 to resign:
zurücktreten |4 to be swayed in s.th.: sich in etw.
beirren lassen
6. Explain why the German Empire
is described as being ‘founded from
above’.
Paintings are a special kind of historical source, since they portray events and
situations of and in history. But the painters were not always interested in
painting true to life1: most of the time they had to fulfil the wishes of their
­clients to show an event or a person in a certain way. And sometimes the artists
were not even present at the events they had to paint. Thus they often painted
pictures according to sketches2, memories, or reports. The historical value3 of
each painting must therefore be closely examined, as the examples on pages 50
and 51 show.
1 true to life: lebensecht |2 sketch: Skizze |3 historic value: historischer Wert
M1 Memories of the painter Anton
King and his beaming4 son, the blond seemed in spite of 8 the great impres15 bearded Crown Prince. […] And then –
sion its political significance must have
von Werner
Anton von Werner (1843–1915) was a without any pomp and glory and within 40 made – maybe more on the Germans
successful German painter. He wit- the shortest time possible – the great than those present 9 – absolutely inadenessed the proclamation-ceremony of historic event took place, achieved by quate in its outer appearance compared
the German Emperor on 18th January the previous war: the proclamation of to its inner value […] None of the fantastic lively10 gestures that a painter usu1871 in Versailles. Between 1877 and 20 the German Empire! […]
1885 he did three paintings, each one I heard King William saying some- 45 ally needs in such cases to express enshowing this historic event. In 1913 he thing and Earl Bismarck reading some- thusiasm was to be seen.
published his memoires ‘Erlebnisse und thing with a wooden5 voice […] only to Hans-Günter Schmidt, ‘Historienmalerei als
Eindrücke’:
awake from deepening thought when Quelle’, in: Geschichte lernen, issue 5/1988, p. 63
I entered the palace [of Versailles] at 25 the grand duke of Baden stepped next (translated by M. Wicke for this book)
eleven o’clock. […] All the entrances to King William to shout loudly into the 1 aisle: Gang |2 in earnest solemn succession: in
were filled with officers from all hall: ‘Long live His Majesty Emperor Wil- ernster und feierlicher Abfolge |3 prince: (hier)
branches of service and in the great liam the victorious!’ Three thundering Fürst |4 to beam: strahlen |5 wooden: hölzern,
steif |6 to embrace: umarmen |7 defiliercour: ein
5 mirror gallery they stood head-to-head,
cheers followed under the clanging of feierliches Vorbeiziehen (Hofritus im 19. Jahrhunonly in the centre a narrow aisle1 re- 30 the weapons. […] I saw the Emperor dert) |8 in spite of: trotz |9 those present: die
mained clear. There must have been embracing6 the Crown Prince and the Anwesenden |10 lively: lebhaft
600 to 800 officers or more. Under the surrounding sovereigns congratulatsounds of a psalm then approached ing him. A planned defiliercour7 of the
officers present failed, […] I saw the
10 in earnest solemn succession2, without pose or ceremony, quite simply the 35 ­Emperor stride down the steps of the
German princes3 and military leaders, podium, past Bismarck, whom he did
at the head the white bearded heroic not seem to notice. The whole event
Analysing step by step
1 Description/Analysis
2 Contextualisation
3 Interpretation/Evaluation
• Describe your first impressions.
• Describewhoandwhatyoucansee
in the painting.
• Describe the positions, the body
postures,andthefacialexpressions
ofthepeopleshowninthepainting.
• Detect details (clothing, symbols,
special items).
• Analyse the overall composition,
thepaintingtechnique,thepainter’s
­perspective,theselectionofcolours,
and other remarkable elements.
• Collectinformationonthehistorical
background of the picture.
• Collectinformationonthepainter,
his client, where and to whom the
paintingwaspresented,andwhyit
was painted in the first place.
• Clarifywhichelementsofthepicture
mustberegardedascontemporary.
• Articulatetheintendedeffectsofthe
paintingoncontemporariesandthe
methodswithwhichthiswassupposedtobeachieved.Compareyour
results with your first impressions
andquestions.Clarifysimilaritiesand
differences.
• Formulate the message of the
­painting.
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