Sculptures in the shadow of the past: Thorak's controversial works of art

Sculptures in the shadow of the past: Thorak's controversial works of art

Salzburg, Österreich - Josef Thorak, once the most valued sculptor of the Third Reich, remains a controversial figure in Austrian art history. Energetically implemented on the heights of his work by Adolf Hitler, Thorak created monumental sculptures that served in the entire empire to decorate public places. The highlights of his career were huge figures up to 18 meters high, which had great weightings of up to 1,000 tons. Thorak was appointed to a respected office by the National Socialists; Nevertheless, his heir is burdened with the shadow of history, since he turned out to be an opportunistic artist who fully served the aesthetics of the regime, as Johannes Hofinger from the Salzburg city archive reported. Thorak's famous sculpture of the doctor Paracelsus is in the spa garden of Salzburg and testifies to his connection to the city.

After the war, Thorak tried to roam his reputation and initially returned to the background. Last week, his remarkable career was taken up by the website Time> Time when he came back into the public due to his denazification. Despite its former size, his attempts to return were not without difficulty; The audience was critical of him. His work, including the 12-foot Paracelsus monument from 1940, did not find the recognition that Thorak hoped for. Experts noticed that his monumental sculptures would be more suitable for small porcelain figures than for the design of Salzburg. The artist himself did not avoid the simplified assessments and found that Hitler had a fine sense of his art.

controversy about street names

The picture that Thorak left is currently being discussed increasingly by the Salzburg city policy. Tomorrow will be debating the city council about the renaming of a stair from Reichenhaller Straße to the Mönchsberg. The proposal is on the table to name them according to Alma Rose, a famous violinist who worked in the Auschwitz women's orchestra during the National Socialism period and died there. This large number of impulses illustrate how significantly the legacy of artists such as Thorak still influences the discussion about forms of memory and honor.