Wir überwinden Grenzen

Children's round dance, 1956

by Ernst Thomann

Shell limestone, 100 x 140 x 20 cm

Freiburg University Medical Center
Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Klinikpark, behind Schauinsland House
Heilig-Geist-Straße

Encourage and give strength

The four girls made of shell limestone stand petrified in front of the children's hospital, although they had previously been spinning in circles in Ernst Thomann's studio. Originally conceived as a joyful dance, the children's round dance was put in its place because, according to the university building authority's art in construction committee, it did not fit in with the elongated, block-like buildings of the children's hospital.

Despite this restriction, Thomann created a sculpture that corresponded to his ideals of art: respect for the inherent laws of the material. "Stone demands that you let it live and know how far you can work into it."

You can actually still sense the original state of the stone block. The figures are massive and angular - girls with both feet firmly on the ground. They radiate a strength that is intended to give the children in the clinic courage and strength.

The eyes of the two outer girls are directed towards the girls in the middle and unite the group. Underlined by their touch, they form an inseparable unit. Strengthened from both sides, the two in the middle can dare to look ahead.

All four are the same height, have similar faces and hairstyles and are dressed in the same clothes. This makes them interchangeable. As they are not individuals, they give the viewer the opportunity to take on the role of the "dancing" children, to take part in the ringing line and to rejoice in their happiness.

Jutta Biedermann

_{from: Skulptur in Freiburg, Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts im öffentlichen Raum}
^{Published by Michael Klant in collaboration with Oliver Dieskau}
mondo^{verlag GmbH, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1998, ISBN 3-922675-76-X}

Children's round dance www.bildkunst.uni-freiburg.de