About the Object
Cramer’s Abstraction showcases a symbolic vocabulary the artist used throughout this period of his career, illustrating his unique spirituality. In particular, Cramer used T-shapes to represent men and U-shapes to represent women, intersecting here like a cross. The cross sits atop a cloud, surrounded by glaring eyes, all of which are backlit by the sun enveloping the cross.
Additional Information
Cramer began to incorporate abstract symbols into his paintings around 1914. Many comparisons are drawn between Konrad Cramer’s visual vocabulary and Marsden Hartley—another artist within the Vilcek Collection. Each artist explored hieratic symbology, although each with their own distinct language.
The Artist;
The Ertegun Collection Group, New York, NY;
[Terry Dintenfass, Inc., New York, NY];
The Michael Scharf Family Collection, 1986-2019;
[Christie’s New York, NY, May 22, 2019, sale no. 17034, lot 14]
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. The Bard College Center, Edith C. Blum Art Institute, Milton and Sally Avery Center for the Arts, Konrad Cramer: A Retrospective, November 21, 1981-January 24, 1982, p. 58, pl. 12, no. 14, illustrated.
Austin, TX. University of Texas, The Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery, Konrad Cramer: A Retrospective, January 20-March 6, 1983.
Levin, Gail. “Konrad Cramer: Link from the German to the American Avant-Garde.” Arts Magazine, vol. 56, 1982, pp. 148-49, fig. 15, illustrated.
Agee, William C., et al. The Scharf Collection: A History Revealed. New York, 2018, pp. 94, 97, 174, illustrated.