The embroideries of Herta Ottolenghi Wedekind zur Horst: means of liberation from a 'prison'

Abstract

This article presents a German artist totally rediscovered and never investigated by critics or historiography: Herta Ottolenghi Wedekind zur Horst. It then dwells on her conception of art as liberation from a prison, from a condition of malaise which can be described as traumatic. As Wedekind herself tells us in her poems, art can be that bright ray of sunshine that suddenly dazzles and awakens new energy. The discussion sheds specific light on how art becomes a kind of refuge, a profound exercise in meditation of the soul, and a moment of profound solitude aimed at achieving a new awareness.