Wilhelm Tank’s Detailed Drawings and Sculptures of Human Anatomy

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Wilhelm Tank’s Detailed Drawings and Sculptures of Human Anatomy

August 24th, 2017

Awake Goy

Wilhelm Tank (1888 – 1967), born in Kuschlin (Wartheland), was a German professor of anatomy, drawing and sculpting. His father, Emil Tank, was a superintendent (head of an administrative division of the Protestant church). Initially Tank studied engineering, but he then transferred to the ‘Universität der Künste’ in Berlin. Later, he studied anatomy under Hans Virchow at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin. Additionally, he studied under Paul Richer, the famous professor of art-anatomy in Paris. Tank made study trips to Africa, the Far-East, Russia, England, France, Italy and Spain. From 1912 onwards, Wilhelm Tank worked as a teacher in anatomic and nude drawing at the Charité Berlin (one of the largest university hospitals in Europe), at art schools and later, from 1925 to 1932, at the ‘Deutschen Hochschule für Leibesübungen’.

From 1920, Tank became known publicly as an illustrator of anatomic depictions and sculptor. In 1929 he taught at the ‘Hochschule für Bildende Kunst’ in Berlin (nowadays the Berlin Art Academy). In the same year he was appointed honorable professor and later, professor. He taught until 1962, and even taught lessons at three institutions after his retirement. In 1932 he published ‘Anatomie des Menschen’ (Anatomy of People) and in 1938, ‘Anatomie der Tiere’ (Anatomy of Animals). Tank, who was active in his field of experience for 50 years, wrote more than 14 books in total and more than 100 academic and artistic articles. Through his sculptures and especially his anatomic drawings, he was represented at various prominent exhibitions in Berlin and Munich.

At the Great German Art Exhibitions, Professor Tank was represented with four art works: ‘Feierlicher Tanz’ (Celebratory Dance), GDK 1938 room 8; ‘Tänzerin’ (Female Dancer), GDK 1939 room 36; ‘5 Plagues’, GDK 1939 room 36 and ‘Speerwerferin’ (Javelin thrower), GDK 1942 room 38. ‘Tänzerin’ was bought by the city of Berchtesgaden and ‘Speerwerferin’ by Theo Memmel, the mayor of the city of Würzburg. Several photo’s of ‘Speerwerferin’, the artist Wilhelm Tank and the model, were depicted in the magazine Kölnische Illustrierte Zeitung, 17th Volume, 1942.

Tank’s anatomic knowledge led to his involvement in the development of culture-political movies. Together with film director Wilhelm Prager, he initiated and produced the first Körperkultus (culture of the body) film ‘Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit’ in 1925. Tank also created the promotional posters. In this film, Leni Riefenstahl, at that time not yet famous, also played a roll. In 1928 Tank developed, together with director Arthur Holz, the first ‘Deutsche Funkgymnastik‘ (morning exercises on the radio), for which he also created the promotional posters.

Wilhelm Tank died in 1967 in Berlin. A memorial plaque at Am Vogelherd 26 in Berlin memorializes the anatomic scientist and artist.

Wilhelm Tanks ‘Speerwerferin’ is in the possession of Museum Kulturspeicher, Würzburg (however, the spear is missing). It was displayed at the exhibition ‘Tradition & Propaganda’ in Museum Kulturspeicher in 2013, and was depicted in their official exhibition catalogue. ‘Feierliche Tanz’ was displayed at the exhibition ‘Kunst im 3. Reich, Dokumente der Unterwerfung’. This exhibition, instigated by the Frankfurter Kunstverein, was held from 1974 to 1975 in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Ludwigshafen and Wuppertal (the sculpture was depicted in the official exhibition catalogue). Nowadays ‘Tänzerin’ is in the possession of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen.