Anselm Kiefer's "Nigredo"

[Paul Ferguson]

"The title of this painting, Nigredo, is an alchemical term meaning “decomposition” and is a stage in the process by which the alchemist attempts to turn “base material” into gold. To achieve a state of perfection, it was believed that the mixture of ingredients had to be heated and reduced down to black matter. Here the German artist Anselm Kiefer explores the physical, psychological, philosophical, and spiritual character of such a transformation."

https://www.britannica.com/list/the-phil...ref1345778

https://www.philamuseum.org/objects/76960