The Evening of All Days the Day of All Evenings 2014 by Anselm Kiefer
The Evening Of All Days The Day Of All Evenings
Anselm Kiefer’s Meditation on Time and Memory
The 2014 painting The Evening Of All Days The Day Of All Evenings marks a late-career synthesis of Anselm Kiefer’s lifelong preoccupations: the weight of history, the fragility of memory, and the cyclical nature of destruction and renewal. Created when the artist was in his late sixties, this work distills decades of exploration into a single, monumental composition. The title itself—a palindrome of temporal inversion—sets the stage for Kiefer’s characteristically dense visual language, where leaden skies and charred fields become metaphors for the persistent echoes of the past.
Unlike the overtly political works of his early career, this painting adopts a more universal perspective on time’s passage. The thick impasto surfaces and embedded materials (charcoal, shellac, emulsion) create a topographical record of artistic process, as though the canvas itself has been subjected to geological forces. As the Tate notes, Kiefer’s later works often function as “material meditations” rather than direct historical commentaries, and this piece exemplifies that shift. The 30×40 cm format, while intimate in scale, contains multitudes—each crack in the surface suggesting centuries rather than years.
Kiefer’s Place in Postwar German Art
By 2014, Anselm Kiefer had long transcended his initial association with the Neo-Expressionist movement that emerged in late 1970s Germany. While contemporaries like Georg Baselitz and Markus Lüpertz focused on figurative distortion, Kiefer developed what critics have termed “history painting for the post-Holocaust era”—works that confront collective memory through material as much as through image. This painting belongs to a series where Kiefer abandoned overt symbolism in favor of abstracted landscapes that nevertheless carry the weight of German Romanticism and its dark legacy.
The layered surfaces reference not only the physical strata of the earth but also the palimpsestic nature of cultural memory. Kiefer’s process—building up and scraping away materials—mirrors how history is simultaneously preserved and erased. As MoMA’s retrospective observed, his works from this period “operate as both artifacts and active agents of remembrance,” a duality particularly evident in this piece’s interplay between the title’s poetic inversion and the painting’s visceral materiality.
The genius of this work lies in its refusal to resolve: the evening never quite becomes day, nor does the day fully surrender to evening. Kiefer suspends us in the liminal space where memory and anticipation collide.
The Alchemy of Kiefer’s Materials
Stratified Composition
The painting’s power emerges from its physical construction as much as from its visual impact. Kiefer begins with a base of oil paint, then applies successive layers of emulsion, acrylic, and shellac, each partially obscuring what lies beneath. The charcoal elements—sometimes drawn, sometimes pressed into the wet surface—create a network of dark veins that suggest both plant roots and crackling earth. This method produces what art historian Mark Rosenthal has called “a kind of archaeological cross-section” where the viewer perceives time as a tangible dimension.
Chromatic Restraint
Unlike the fiery reds of his 1980s works, this painting employs a deliberately limited palette dominated by ocres, umbers, and lead whites. The muted tones serve a conceptual purpose: they evoke the patina of ancient frescoes while also suggesting ash and decay. Small accents of blue-gray in the upper registers provide the only relief, functioning almost like cracks in an otherwise monochromatic expanse. This chromatic austerity forces attention onto the physical texture, making the viewing experience as much tactile as visual.
Own This Material Meditation
Bring Anselm Kiefer’s textured masterwork into your space as a gallery-framed print. Each piece arrives ready to hang, with free worldwide shipping and our 30-day return guarantee.
Add to Cart — $24999Displaying Kiefer’s Textural Abstraction
This print’s 30×40 cm dimensions make it ideally suited for intimate spaces where its details can be studied up close. The earthy tonal range allows it to complement both modern and traditional interiors: consider placing it against deep gray or warm terracotta walls to enhance its geological qualities. In contemporary settings, the textured surface creates striking contrast when paired with smooth materials like concrete or glass. For maximum impact, position the work at eye level in a well-lit area where the interplay of light and shadow across the ridged surfaces can be fully appreciated. The gallery framing—with its clean lines and neutral finish—ensures the focus remains on Kiefer’s complex surfaces rather than on decorative embellishment.
What kind of frame is included with this print?
Each print arrives in a custom gallery frame made from solid wood with an acid-free mat board. The framing is designed to conservation standards, using UV-protective glazing to prevent fading while allowing the full texture of Kiefer’s work to remain visible.
Where do you ship, and how long does delivery take?
We offer free worldwide shipping to every country with no minimum purchase. Production typically takes 2–3 business days, and delivery ranges from 5–10 business days depending on your location. All international orders include full tracking.
How long will the colors stay vibrant?
Our prints use archival pigment inks rated for 100+ years without noticeable fading under normal lighting conditions. The UV-protective glazing in the frame provides additional defense against light damage, while the acid-free materials prevent yellowing over time.
What is your return policy?
You may return your framed print within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We provide return shipping labels at no cost, and there are no restocking fees. The print must arrive back in its original packaging and undamaged condition.
Sources & Further Reading
- Tate. "Anselm Kiefer: Biography and Art." tate.org.uk
- The Museum of Modern Art. "Anselm Kiefer: Retrospective." moma.org
- The Art Story. "Neo-Expressionism Movement Overview." theartstory.org
More Works by Anselm Kiefer
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Further Reading
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Add to Cart — $24999