Die starke Linke (Engels-Denkmal) / The Strong Left (Engels Monument)

Austrian artist Alfred Hrdlicka considered himself a political artist in the classical tradition. His works are political statements that address themes of violence, oppression, and revolt. This monument makes reference to its location, the former residence of Friedrich Engels. The densely packed group of naked oversized male figures appears to only emerge from the carved block as fragments. The monument is primarily made up of different sized limbs, arms, legs, and especially hands, which are cuffed, chained, and struggling to break free from the block. Hrdlicka was inspired by the last lines the Communist Manifesto, which read: “Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.” The outstretched fists invoke a 19th century labor movement greeting, while the dynamics of the sculpture are rooted in ancient representations of warriors, and the naked male body is a symbol of freedom. Laocoön and His Sons is surely the best-known example of such a sculpture.
This work was commissioned for a predetermined location. In 1975, the City of Wuppertal decided to “beautify the urban landscape” (NRW Program) by erecting a sculpture in the Engelsgarten where the Engels residence once stood. However, there were years of disputes between the artist and the city, particularly about the skyrocketing costs, and the monument couldn’t be unveiled until 1981.