Experts Reassess Goethe’s Drawings Including Scientific Studies at Klassik Stiftung Weimar
Experts Reassess Goethe’s Drawings Including Scientific Studies at Klassik Stiftung Weimar
The Klassik Stiftung Weimar has begun a comprehensive reexamination of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s graphic works, including his drawings, illustrations, and sketches, which number around 2,500 pieces. This review updates the last major corpus compiled over 50 years ago, incorporating new research such as watermark analyses that provide insights into Goethe’s paper orders. Goethe, renowned primarily as a writer, valued his graphic work equally to his literary achievements. His diverse drawings cover landscapes, architecture, portraits, body studies, and scientific sketches, including detailed studies of skulls linked to his research on jawbones. Many drawings, dating back to his youth and reflecting his artistic education, bear precise dates and locations on their backs that correspond with his diaries. The project aims to better understand Goethe’s thought processes and artistic style, and it will continue until 2028. Experts emphasize Goethe’s technical skill and compositional training despite his own modest assessment of his artistic talent.