Karl Rödel — Female Head

Carved from a fractured slab of slate, Female Head is a rare and intimate sculptural work by German post-war artist Karl Rödel (1907–1982). Rather than imposing a form onto the material, Rödel works directly with the irregular shape and natural surface of the stone. A series of incised and notched lines is enough to suggest the profile of a woman, her long, flowing hair following the contours of the slate. The resulting image sits somewhere between drawing, relief and sculpture.

This balance between figuration and abstraction is characteristic of Rödel’s wider practice. Although his post-war work moved increasingly towards abstraction, recognisable forms remained an important point of departure. Across painting, graphic work, sculpture and his large-scale architectural commissions, Rödel was interested in simplicity, rhythm and the relationship between material and form.

Rödel’s approach was deeply rooted in craftsmanship. He trained at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, entering the school in 1929 and studying with artists including Charles Crodel, Gerhard Marcks and Herbert Post. After the war, he returned to Burg Giebichenstein, where he led the lithography class from 1947 until 1952. In 1953 he moved to Mannheim, and the following year founded the Kunstschule Mannheim with support from the city.

His biography places him across two very different chapters of German twentieth-century art: his formative years and early teaching career in Halle, followed by his move from East Germany to Mannheim and the development of his mature post-war practice in West Germany. Throughout these changes, Rödel maintained an unusually broad practice, moving freely between fine art, applied art and architecture.

Female Head brings many of these ideas together on an unusually concentrated scale. The slate is neither concealed nor completely transformed: its broken edges, layered surface and weight remain present. Against this raw material, Rödel’s few carved lines create a surprisingly delicate image. The flowing hair gives the profile an almost archaic or mythological quality, while the economy of the composition feels distinctly modern.