Artwork Page for MEZ (Middle-European Time)

Details / Information for MEZ (Middle-European Time)

MEZ (Middle-European Time)

1919–20

Robert Michel

(German, 1897–1983)
Culture
Germany, 20th century
Medium
woodcut
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1993.210
Copyright
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
Not on view
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Description

MEZ is one of a set of four woodcuts Michel executed in Weimar, the site of the Bauhaus, a progressive art school where the goal was to amalgamate the natural sciences, technology, and art. Michel, who had been a test pilot, shared these aims, associating the function of mechanical parts with the dynamism of modern life and the idea that a new world would rise from the ashes of World War I. MEZ, which is an abbreviation for Middle-European Time, involves elements of time. The spinning mechanical discs and cogs that appear to rotate in a never-ending motion suggest time's continual state of flux.
A vertically oriented woodcut in black ink depicts a dense, mechanical assembly of intersecting geometric shapes and serrated cogs. These shapes appear as bright, textured lines against a dark background. Sharp triangles and radiating lines create a fragmented composition filled with overlapping clock faces and hands pointing at various angles. Numbers including 0, 1, 5, and 10 are scattered throughout. At the bottom right, text reads "MEZ 1919/20 WEIMAR" beside a stylized signature.

MEZ (Middle-European Time)

1919–20

Robert Michel

(German, 1897–1983)
Germany, 20th century

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