Nothung 1973

Anselm Kiefer created "Nothung" using mixed media on paper, presenting us with a stark interior space dominated by wood and shadow. The perspective is sharply receding, drawing our eye to the back wall where the name "Nothung," the sword from Wagner’s Ring cycle, is scrawled. The sword itself stands upright in the wooden floor, a rigid, isolated form. The entire composition is built from strong linear elements; the planks of wood, the beams, and even the hatching used to create shadow all emphasize the structural nature of the space. The wood grain is meticulously rendered, yet the overall effect is one of confinement and unease. The sword acts as a phallus, and is both a symbol of power and also vulnerability as it stands alone. Kiefer plays with the semiotics of space and symbol, here, destabilizing the heroic associations with the sword and instead suggesting a more complex relationship to German history and myth. The formal tension between the claustrophobic space and the heroic symbol creates a discourse that challenges fixed cultural meanings.