Having developed a passion for ancient myth as a student, Anselm Kiefer set out on an artistic investigation of the ways that sagas may be connected to a collective consciousness. His understanding, made clear in Dragon (Drache), concerns the relevance of complex combinations of religious and philosophical ideas to current culture. The monumental composition involves waves and the stars of the constellation Drache burning above, referring to the mythical beast that appears in the lore of many cultures, invariably as a sign of evil. Thus Kiefer alludes to an overarching theme of inherent evil pervading the human condition.