Wilhelm Neuhauser

WILHELM NEUHAUSER (Katzhütte, 1885-Dachau, 1960).
"Bust of Arthur Shopenhauer", 1934.
Bronze.
Signed.
Measurements: 38 x 30 x 16 cm.

Wilhelm Neuhauser, German sculptor deeply linked to the academic and realist tradition of the early twentieth century, gives us here a psychological portrait of the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer made in 1934. Schopenhauer is known as the "philosopher of pessimism", and Neuhauser succeeds in capturing that existential burden masterfully. The eyes are deeply sunken under a frown, projecting a penetrating, stern gaze that reflects the intensity of the philosopher's thought. The broad, unclouded forehead, flanked by the tousled hair and sideburns characteristic of Schopenhauer, accentuates his image as a romantic and solitary intellectual. The corner of the lips suggests a mixture of disdain and determination, capturing the sharp, critical personality for which the philosopher was famous.
Neuhauser was a porcelain sculptor and modeler (he worked for the famous Nymphenburg manufactory) of great reputation in the Bavarian area. In 1934, when this piece is made, art in Germany was under strong institutional pressure towards heroic realism. Neuhauser, however, maintains here a fidelity to historical character and anatomical truth over political idealization. His training in porcelain gave him an exceptional capacity for fine detail, which here he transfers to bronze to create a work of great physical presence.