Penck, A.R. | Skorpion - Scorpio, 1995 — available on Composition Gallery

View in a Room

Silkscreen on heavy laid paper. Signed, dated and numbered.

Skorpion – Scorpio (1995) by A.R. Penck is a silkscreen on heavy laid paper that features the artist's signature visual language of symbolic, primitive forms. Dominated by vibrant red, pink, blue, and black, the composition presents a dynamic interaction between a blue, stick-figure-like humanoid and a black scorpion. The surrounding space is filled with abstract symbols and eyes, evoking themes of struggle, confrontation, and vigilance. Penck, a major figure of Neo-Expressionism, channels ancient and contemporary visual codes to reflect on political and existential concerns. This work is from an edition of only 10.

A.R. Penck (Germany, 1939–2017), born Ralf Winkler, was a neo-expressionist artist known for his bold, symbolic paintings and sculptures. His works often featured stick figures and graphic symbols, addressing themes of power, conflict, and humanity. Emerging from East Germany, Penck’s art became a defining voice of postwar European expressionism.

A.R. Penck

Skorpion - Scorpio, 1995

Name: Skorpion - Scorpio, 1995
SKU: 15981
Price: 6300.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

Form

Limited Edition Print

Limited Edition PrintA limited edition print is one of a number of prints made at the same time from one printmaking plate. A fixed number are made and signed by the artist, indicating the printing order, using the format 1/10, meaning first of ten prints.

Medium

Silkscreen

Silkscreen Silkscreen is a printmaking method that uses a screen made of silk or other mesh fabric. The screen is treated with a substance that blocks ink in certain areas, allowing ink to pass through only in the desired sections. Each color in the print requires a separate screen.

Edition

Edition of 10

Authenticity Guaranteed
Insured Shipping
Online Since 2005

●Inventory 15981

●Signed

A.R. Penck is a German sculptor, printmaker, painter and jazz percussionist. His early artistic education took place with other neo-expressionist painters in the city of Dresden, and he joined such figures as Georg Baselitz, Joerg Immendorff and Markus Luepertz, all of whom were considered as instigators of dissident by the East German government.
Their work appeared in several West Berlin shows in the 1970s, moving on to major galleries and museums in Western Europe in the 1980s, most famously in the "New Art" show at London's Tate Gallery in 1983. In the 1980s, A.R. Penck was known for paintings featuring human forms drawn with neo-primitivist design, including pictographic elements, human figures and other forms that appear on totems. His work continued to show up in many significant shows in New York City and London. A.R. Penck’s sculpture is less well known but expresses the same ideas as his drawings and paintings in terms of primitivism. His sculptures incorporate everyday materials such as cardboard, bottles, tin cans and wood, and they show crude assembly methods to evoke that primitive ambiance.

Artwork by Georg Baselitz

Who are the Neue Wilden?

Neue Wilden is the term German artists used for Neo-Expressionism. In the 1970s and 80s, expressive painting re-emerged in Germany, with artists embracing intense colors and broad brushstrokes. The movement grew in opposition to minimal and conceptual art, favoring a return to raw, emotional expression through bold and dynamic painting techniques.

Explore »

A.R. Penck

Skorpion - Scorpio, 1995

93 x 122.7 cm

Language & Currency

A.R. Penck