"iz .art" : Scales
"... A wall installation on the history of scales .., which is spread over five levels, dealing with the universal history of scales, their history of the ancient and new empire of the Egyptians on Hellenism, the Roman period with the Roman fast scales, the mechanical scales of the 19th and 20th century into the age of the computer was designed by Iz Maglow ..." in 1991 the Allgemeine Fleischer Zeitung wrote about his art in the new building in the Viehhofstraße in Stuttgart, Germany.
Sketches and Plans for Installation "Scales"
The idea of the scale installation for the entrance area and the staircase of the scale manufacturer Bizerba in Stuttgart was to connect the levels with artistic elements and vertical lines, presenting a painterly story about weight / counterweight and balance.
INSTALLATION SEQUENCE E2 – E5 (Detail E3/E4)
felt-tip pen on paper,
1987, 133 x 60 cm
26487043
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
In 1987, Jean-Pierre de Longueville, in his introduction to this art installation, moved on the "Scales in 5 Cultures": "... In a sequence, distributed on 5 levels, painterly notes on the subject of scales are made , including their intellectual, religious and art historical dimension are considered and artistically implemented."
STAIRCASE LEVELS
(PHOTO COLLAGE / OVERVIEW)
THE ENTRANCE AREA
(OVERVIEW)
The top 5th level, the "DIGITAL LEVEL", artistically shows the balance as it appears to us in our digital age.
On level 4, the "MEDIEVAL LEVEL", a semi-oval shape lies on two blue lines, like a scale that balances on the water.
On level 3, the "ROMAN LEVEL", the whole art installation is reminiscent of a scale with a slider and a pointer. Their triangles and perpendiculars form links to the neighboring levels.
On level 2, the "GREEK LEVEL", water, horizontal elements, small weights and lines indicate early weigh.
The level 1, the entrance area is dedicated to the weighing in the "OLD EGYPT". Inspiration for this level are borrowed from ancient Egyptian murals.
In addition, Jean-Pierre de Longueville wrote in his introductory text in 1987: "... It is striking that again and again the element of water, as the starting point of all "horizontal" states, is taken into consideration and input into the wall design scales is played through in different time sequences. ... The aim of the artist is that the viewers ... let the color composition and the formal design, together with the integration of the room in the context of the overall installation, be affected."
STUDIES ON LEVEL 1 / E1
various pens and acrylic on paper,
1987, 54 x 100 cm
26487029
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
STUDIES ON LEVEL 2 / E2
various pens and acrylic on paper,
1987, 54 x 100 cm
26487030
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
STUDIES ON LEVEL 3 / E3
various pens and acrylic on paper,
1987, 54 x 100 cm
26487031
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
STUDIES ON LEVEL 4 / E4
various pens and acrylic on paper,
1987, 54 x 100 cm
26487032
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
STUDIES ON LEVEL 5 / E5
various pens and acrylic on paper
1987, 54 x 100 cm
26487033
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
Each Level in Detail
The art installation "Scales in five Cultures" was created by Iz Maglow for the entrance area and the staircase of the scale manufacturer Bizerba in Stuttgart. It is a collage of paintings and pictorial elements that painstakingly treats the importance of Scales through the ages over five levels.
OLD EGYPTIAN LEVEL
ENTRANCE AREA LEVEL 1 (DETAIL)
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 297 x 456 cm
16487044
public wall installation (level 1)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
"The Scales in Old Egypt"
Old Egytian"Soul Scale"
The wall installation in the entrance area of the scale manufacturer Bizerba in Stuttgart focuses on the balance in the ancient Egyptian context. The paintings thematize a soul scale as it was used during the Egyptian cult of the dead to weigh the heart against a spring.
The pictorial fields of this plane painterly combine different elements such as water, stars and skies, false doors, thrones, ... all of which played a significant role during these funeral celebrations, but also in other areas of this culture.
OLD EGYPTIAN LEVEL
ENTRANCE AREA LEVEL 1 (DETAIL)
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 297 x 456 cm
16487044
public wall installation (level 1)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
OLD EGYPTIAN LEVEL
ENTRANCE AREA LEVEL 1
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 297 x 456 cm
16487044
public wall installation (level 1)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
"The Scales in Ancient Greece"
ELEMENTS OF GREEK ART(Art decorations and murals
[Greek & Roman])
The Greek level of Scales installation quotes the meander volume and the further development of the plate scales in a tripartite painting. The first striking element confronting the visitor on the second level is a "black-and-white heavyweight" that seems to block the way up, although it continues the lines of the up-stairs. This is continued in a split "water horizon" that balances work at this level. On two horizontal lines, the remainder of the Hellenistic Scales installation is strung, such as goods and weights that could be moved along a slider for weighing.
GREEK LEVEL
LEVEL 2 (DETAIL)
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 250 x 320 cm
16487045
public wall installation (level 2)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
GREEK LEVEL
LEVEL 2
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 250 x 320 cm
16487045
public wall installation (level 2)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
"The Scales in ancient Rome"
Roman scales with pointer and sliderThe third level, the ancient Roman level, is created like an oversized bar-scale with slider and pointer (Roman fast scales). The viewer can guess the movement of the pointer over the sliding band. The main painting shows not only an ordinary market scale of that time but also an abstracted picture of a "Justitia with a scale" as a reminder of the introduction of the Roman legal system in Europe. Dominates like the main picture of the pictorially translated astrological symbol of the "Scales". Vertically arranged elements such as triangles and lines form links and create a connection to levels 2 and 4 where these parts continue.
ROMAN LEVEL
LEVEL 3
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 284 x 320 cm
16487046
public wall installation (level 3)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
ROMAN LEVEL
LEVEL 3 (DETAIL)
acrylic on canvas,
1987, 90 x 80 cm
16487046
public wall installation (detail of level 3)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
"The Scales in the Middle Ages"
ELEMENTS OF MEDIEVAL BOOK PAINTING(Angel Michael weighs souls / examples to text and framing)
The fourth level Iz Maglow dedicated to the Middle Ages and the bowl scales. A yellow semi-oval element, reminiscent of a wheat husk floating on the water, is balanced against the unevenly severed main painting, which shows remnants of various shapes and symbols. Symbols such as circles and angles are reminiscent of medieval architecture (hose, water balance). The color spectrum follows medieval illuminations.
"... as the first artist - and certainly of a hardly beatable consequence – he opened himself in these installations to the technical medium of Scales in its entire intellectual, cultural and technological historical dimension ..." was how the Allgemeine Fleischer Zeitung described the artist in 1991 Iz Maglow and his Scales installation.
MEDIEVAL LEVEL
LEVEL 4
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 263 x 320 cm
16487047
public wall installation (level 4)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
MEDIEVAL LEVEL
LEVEL 4 (DETAIL)
acrylic on canvas, wood and cardboard,
1987, 263 x 320 cm
16487047
public wall installation (level 4)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
"The Scales in the Digital Age"
DIGITAL CODE From the entry level 1 level, you can see the last two digits on the ceiling of level 5, the digital level. At this level, an artistic implementation of the digital scale, the vertical connection dissolves and the entire installation escapes in real and painted dual digits. No flowing or colorful elements dominate this part of the Scales installation. Despite maintaining a minimal connection to the earlier lower levels, Iz Maglow uses only a simple, basic shape and color language.
"... Nobody, who today enters the new butcher's shop, can escape the fascination of many, even the provocation, of these pictures ..." wrote the Neue Fleischer Zeitung in 1991 about the art installation on the history of Scales.
DIGITAL LEVEL
LEVEL 5
acrylic and wood on canvas,
1987, 166 x 320 cm
16487048
public wall installation (level 5)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
DIGITAL LEVEL
LEVEL 5 (DETAIL)
acrylic on canvas,
1987, 297 x 456 cm
16487046
public wall installation (level 5)
Bizerba Stuttgart / Germany
The "Scales" in Iz Maglow's paintings
Parallel to the Stuttgart art installation "Scales in five Cultures", painterly studies and paintings in strong acrylic colors were created on canvas and on cardboard.
Scales in Paintings
sat down with the murals and customs in ancient Egypt. In addition to symbols for "water", "light", "balance" also associations of the ancient Egyptian god "Thot" and elements of Egyptian tomb and ceiling paintings find representations as an artistic implementation of the "soul scale" and the associated weighing a heart against a feather.
STUDY FOR "SCALE"
acrylic on canvas,
1987, 69 x 74 cm
16487092
private collection Berlin / Germany
STUDY FOR "THOT"
graphite pencil and acrylic on cardboard,
1986, 64 x 49 cm
13686122
STUDY FOR "SCALE"
graphite pencil and acrylic on cardboard,
1986, 64 x 49 cm
13686124
STUDY FOR "SCALE"
acrylic on cardboard
1987, 65,5 x 46 cm
16487034
private collection Stuttgart / Germany
STUDY FOR "SCALE"
acrylic on canvas,
1986, 45 x 57 cm
16486119
STUDY FOR "SCALE"
graphite pencil and acrylic on cardboard,
1987, 73 x 58 cm
16487035
STUDY FOR "THOT"
graphite pencil and acrylic on 2 cardboards,
1986, 56 x 60 cm
13686123
STUDY FOR "ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SKY"
acrylic on cardboard and old gold frame,
1987, 32 x 42 cm
16587037
