Blalla Hallmann's Sinning Pope, Angelic Goebbels, and Obese Marilyn Monroe

In an earlier article in which we explored paintings depicting an Hitler practising onanism, one artist who recurrently visited this striking theme was the German artist Blalla Hallmann (1941-1997). 

Obscene Provocations

Few artists of his generation painted against the existing social order in such a provocative and caustic way as Hallmann. He was a history painter in the best sense of the word. His subject was German history, more precisely the false existence in fascism and the cynicism of living and dying in the mendacity of imperialism and Catholicism (Fig.3 and 4). Full of anger and contempt, he painted her greedy, violent grimace again and again, peppered with sexually obscene provocations and meanness, which in their visual directness are both funny and ruthless.

Fig.1. "Bergmelkwerk", 1965, Pastel on paper, 30 x 40 cm (signed as Jonas Tark)

Greatest Unsavory Manner

Hallmann did not shy away from depicting the bare facts with disgust and irreconcilability - but in a sophisticated way of painting - and so he targeted those responsible in his opinion: He portrayed ex-Federal President von Weizsäcker or Helmut Kohl in the greatest unsavory manner - one in the Officer's uniform of the Wehrmacht, the other during the sexual act (Fig.8).

Fig.2. "Amerika (America)", 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 110 cm (This painting is part of a triptych of which you can find the two other panels on this page (Fig.1 and 2)

Marilyn Monroe

Another inseparable theme in Blalla's work was his deeply rooted aversion to Western capitalism, and America, the largest representative of this system where he stayed for 2 years, was especially targeted in his work. For this he used typical American icons, such as Marilyn Monroe whom he portrays as a naked, corpulent figure who gobbles chocolates from a candy box disguised as a bible. (Fig.1), or John F. Kennedy making love to a bear while being encouraged by the same Marilyn Monroe (Fig.9). It is a world filled with shit and cum, where the enslaving capitalist opposition of consumption and production is reduced to its most vulgar human equivalents – fucking and shitting (Fig.10).

Man Is a Pig

Hallmann's garish exaggerations and crass pornographic depictions  were just the right thing to do to denounce the contradictions between false ideal and banal reality and to arrive at the devastating verdict: "Man is wolf to man, he is a pig!" 

Fig.3. "Claudia träumt von einer verschwiegenen Wallfahrt nach Kevelaer (ein Andachtsbild) (Claudia dreams of a secret pilgrimage to Kevelaer (a devotional picture))", 1994, 150 x 110 cm, Acrylic on canvas

Sharp Realism

Hallmann was not only loved for his sharp realism and relentless criticism of power, but was also accused of perversion. To this day, Hallmann is often unjustly overlooked in the official art scene.

Fig.4. "Die Privataudienz (Private Audience)", 1992, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 110 cm

Fig.5. "Der Tierfreund (The animal lover)", 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 110 cm

Fig.6. "Gott ist die Liebe (Triade) (God is love (triad))", 1990, Acrylic on glass, 120 x 110 cm

Fig.7. "Wenn die bunten Fahnen weh’n. Der Moonlight-Arier-Express: “Festung Europa (When the colorful flags blow. The Moonlight Aryan Express: “Fortress Europe)”, 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 110 cm

Fig.8. "Auf der elitären Samenbank (At the elite sperm bank) ", 1992, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 110 cm

Fig.9. "Was wirklich geschah damals in Hollywood (What really happened in Hollywood back then)", 1992, Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm

Fig.10. “Wie die Alten sungen, so zwitschern auch die Jungen.” (Familien-Bande Laokoon) Im schlichten “japanisch”-Freistil gehalten. Einfach, aber ergreifend (As the old sang, so the young pipe" (Family gang Laocoon) In the simple "Japanese" free style. Simple but moving)", 1981, Tempera and mixed media on hardboard, 109 x 78 cm

Fig.11. "Zwei Stücke Fleisch auf dem Weg durch das Universum allzeit bereit zur Fortpflanzung und auf der Suche nach einem geeigneten Planeten (Two pieces of meat on the way through the universe always ready for reproduction and in search of a suitable planet)", 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 110 cm

Click HERE for the blasphemous sensuality of Camille Clovis Trouille....!!

Source: blalla-hallmann.de/, Kunstforum.de, 

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