Page 25 - Studio International - March 1972

its beginning. From two tablets, the one he the Wormserstrasse, pierced by thumb-tacks, though for nearly fifty years nothing was heard
showed me in my little hotel room in Zurich dirty and with notes written here and there, it of them. They may be answered by a letter of
and one other, he developed his main work: the served exclusively as a model for the cut-outs Raoul Hausmann, a friend of Eggeling in his
scroll pencil on paper Horizontal: Vertical Mass to be used for the animation on film. later years :
(later called Orchestra) 1919 and Diagonal Unfortunately not all of his scrolls are saved. `Eggeling and Richter worked together with
Symphonic 1920. There are two full Diagonal Symphonie and two those—at the time—completely new problems
It is possible that the plan for the first was Horizontal: Vertical Mass Part I. From Part II (abstract films). It is true, the two were
already growing when I met him in 1918, but only a fragment is saved. One larger fragment estranged temporarily, but that has no
it is definitely wrong to date the first scroll from the Gabrielson Collection, two smaller in importance between artists. When after 40
this year. I myself was present (at the estate of Switzerland and New York. Not all were in years one or the other of his friends wants to
my parents to which I had invited Eggeling and good shape when I found them. Dr Georg throw a shadow upon Richter's generosity that
his wife in April 1919) when he drew the first Schmidt, Director of the Basle Kunstmuseum, proves only their own inferiority complex.
scroll towards the end of 1919. helped me to restore them. One was bought by To my personal knowledge and conviction Hans
After he had finished his first scroll, him for the Museum (through Mrs Sacher). Richter has been a true friend of Eggeling and
Horizontal: Vertical Mass, a curious thing As to his film: there was a 'long version' has preserved his work in which nobody else
happened. He became obsessed with the idea of shown in1923 at the V.D.I. (see above) and a short for forty years showed any serious interest.'
realizing it on film. The drawing itself (scroll) `for theatres' made on the advice of Ruttmann. (Signed) Raoul Hausmann, January 1966. q
did not interest him anymore. It was no more I am showing the short one before the anthology
than 'a score' (a 'partite) for a future of my old film of the twenties '40 Year
realization on celluloid. To do that was difficult. Experiment'. Eggeling made only this one film.
But Eggeling had a plan: 'Let's get letters of The rumour that he shot 5000 frames of
recommendation (Gutachten) from important Horizontal: Vertical Mass is without factual
people and with them let's convince a film- basis. His first experiments with the UFA
company to allow us to use their expensive amounted (1920) to not more than perhaps
animation facilities.' fifteen feet.
We visited Albert Einstein, Reichs- He never had the chance to make another
Kunstwart Dr Redslob, Professor Waetzold, film. He died on May 19, 1925 of a throat sepsis
Poelzig and another half a dozen 'important (easily cured today by penicillin) in Berlin. His
people' to ask for letters of recommendation. nephew Professor Fritz Schupp, his last
But nobody wanted to go out on a limb without girlfriend Inge Luedecke and I stood at his
studying these strange drawings at their leisure. deathbed. I promised to keep his name and
So, in order not to lose precious months, we work alive. I have written scores of articles in
started to make copies of our scrolls and left reviews and books about my late friend;
them for consideration with our supposed-to-be deposited all I could find and buy at the Yale
sponsors. As they were anyhow only preliminary University Art Gallery, New Haven,
and preparatory steps to the work itself (film) Connecticut; collected an Eggeling
it did not matter. Archive at the Museum of Modern Art, New
Today, when these scrolls (Eggeling's and York, consisting of nearly i000 documents,
mine) have become rare art works, things look letters, articles, etc.
different. But fifty years ago when the Diagonal Today, as his work becomes better known,
3 From the film Diagonal Symphonie 192o-23
Symphonie scroll was hanging on the wall of all kinds of people suddenly discover that they
Eggeling's studio near the Wittenbergplatz at are the ones 'who knew him well, better or best', 4 From the scroll Diagonal Symphonie 192o
99