Adolph Menzel
The Petition (The Stroll), 1849
Artist
Adolph Menzel
Title
The Petition (The Stroll)
Year of creation
1849
Technique and dimensions
oil on canvas, 62.5 x 76.5 cm
Year of acquisition
2007
The State Museums in Berlin are pleased about an outstanding new acquisition: with the support of the Cultural Foundation of the States, the Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation and the Association of Friends of the National Gallery, they have succeeded in acquiring Adolph Menzel's "The Petition" from 1849 for the collection of the Alte Nationalgalerie secure. The last work from Menzel's famous cycle on the life of Frederick II of Prussia that is still on the world market is returning to Berlin.
Like no other artist, Adolph Menzel shaped the idea of the person of Frederick II that continues to this day. "The Petition" is the beginning of a series of pictures from the life of Frederick II, as it is the first work that was not only conceived but also completed as part of this cycle. Menzel himself spoke of the "seed of a long ear" in relation to this picture and in fact this painting was followed over the next decade by nine large and two small compositions in oil paints around the figure of Frederick II. Menzel did not create these pictures solely out of historical interest based on his approximately 400 drawings for woodcuts for Franz Kugler's work "History of Frederick the Great", but also to provide a model for the present and the future with the image of an enlightened, humane king. The "Petition" is more than an example of important realistic painting around 1850 - it was also the formulation of a political hope.
In the meantime, history is reflected twice in this cycle, because this series of images was created as a reaction to the current political events of the period 1848/49, which was so important for Prussian and all-German history. Apart from the actual vita of Frederick II, Menzel also depicted his ideal image of a king here, as Frederick II embodied all of the qualities that, in Menzel's opinion, Frederick William IV lacked in the years of the revolution.
The painting "The Petition" has been in the National Gallery several times: during the Menzel exhibition in 1997, as well as as the central image of a small special exhibition in 2002, for which a catalog by Claude Keisch "Landscape. Revolution. History. Adolph Menzel, The Petition " appeared. After having had various bourgeois owners, the picture remained in the Hohenzollern family until a few years ago.
With over fifty works, the National Gallery has the world's largest collection of paintings by the artist, including major works such as the "Flute Concerto of Frederick the Great in Sanssouci", which is one of the most famous works owned by the Alte Nationalgalerie.
Nevertheless, this rich and valuable collection was not spared from war losses. By acquiring the picture "The Petition" it was possible to supplement and enrich the cycle of Friedrich pictures with an important work. It is precisely in this complex of works that the artist's development from the late 1840s to the late 1850s can be clearly understood. In the future, “The Petition” will have a prominent place in the permanent exhibition near the “Flute Concerto,” which was conceived at the same time. In addition to complementing the Friedrich cycle, "The Petition" with its atmospheric depiction of landscapes creates a connection between Menzel's works with Frederickian subjects and the pictures with bourgeois, everyday motifs, such as "Building Site with Willows", and thus brings both groups of works closer together together.
