A. R. Penck (b. 1939)

A monumental primitive stick figure standing isolated in a bleak environment surrounded only by indecipherable geometrical signs and symbols. In Standart the German Neo-Expressionist A. R. Penck employs archaic iconography to highlight the vulnerable and solitary human condition in a Postmodernist world. The work is part of Penck's most notable series titled Standart pictures created between 1968 and 1973. Penck envisioned a form of political concept art aspiring to make a relevant contribution to socialism. The paintings function as visual signs and symbols which could be understood and used by everybody. In 1970, he defined in his publication 'What is Standart' the concept as 'a picture one can perceive and imitate'(A. R. Penck, Was ist Standard?, Cologne, 1970).