Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Essay Example

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Art has always been in its purest form a record of history as much as a perception of life. It is therefore a reflection of the times in which an artist lived, a pulsating record, not only of the artist's emotions, but also of the interests and issues of the society in which he lived. German Expressionism was, perhaps even more so than the other movements, a statement on the changing face of society. It came into being in the early part of the twentieth century (1905 - 1928), born of the turbulent times in which Germany found itself. The proponents of German Expressionism sought to comment on the prevailing issues and facets of society and their work is a deeply personal record of their take on their surroundings. Expressionism took many forms including theatre, cinema and art (www.artmovements.co.uk). Other movements including Fauvism, Post- Impressionism and Impressionism heavily influenced the art itself. However Expressionism evolved beyond all those, incorporating many of the elements of each type but also imparting extreme violence and exaggeration of brushstrokes, as well as harsh and intense colour to the canvas in order to convey their personal emotional response to the scene. In 1880 two events took place that led to the rise of Expressionism. The first was the unification of Germany and all its controlled states into a single federation or empire by the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk). This resulted in the appointment of Wilhelm II, the King of Prussia, (Germany's biggest state) to the position of Emperor of Germany. Wilhelm's governance and his policies led to social and political unrest in the empire and eventually led to World War I. The second was the birth of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner who was to go on to become one of Germanys most famous Expressionists and who was also one of the founding members of this art form. Kirchner was born in Aschaffenburg, the son of a chemist in the paper industry. Though his parents encouraged his artistic tendencies they did not consider it a profession and after his schooling, his parents sent him to an architecture course in a Technical College in Dresden (http://tigtail.org). While there he formed an artists group with two other students, Heckel and Schmidt- Rotluff. They called themselves Die Brucke, literally, The Bridge. They considered themselves to be a bridge from the old set ways into the future of art and society in Germany. Kirchner was the driving force of this group and his work endures as a striking commentary on German society at the time. His most famous works as his art developed were those belonging to his "Streetwalker" series. Two of those paintings, Potsdamer Platz (1914) and The Street (1913) will be discussed as an example of how the period in which he lived influenced him. In order to fully comprehend the import of his work it is also necessary to understand the time in which he lived. Germany from 1880 to the time of the Great War was undergoing great turmoil on several fronts. Firstly it was a time of immense expansion on an industrial and technological front (Myers and Praeger, p11). Artists all over Europe were invigorated by this infusion of modernity. However Germanys unified empire was beginning to crack. After the appointment of Wilhelm as Kaiser there was a growing rift between the Emperor and his Chancellor Bismarck on various issues of social policy and he finally forced Bismarck to resign in 1890. With the dismissal of the Chancellor Wilhelm forced the passing of several policies that were completely unsuitable for a technologically developing nation (www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures). He also adopted political stands that led to the development of World War I. On the social front things were not much better in Germany during this period. Women's rights were virtually unheard of; women were unable to vote until quite late, they had very few legal financial rights and job opportunities and marriage and children were the only way for a respectable woman of the middle and upper classes. For the rest prostitution was often the only other option apart from industrial positions (www.westga.edu/mcormica/WIG18801933_files). In Sherwin Simmons article as well (The Art Bulletin, 2000) he notes the vigorous moral policing and prudery at this time as well as the censorship of art and theatre. It is not surprising therefore that the artists of this period rebelled against the censorship of their artistic expression. Kirchners move in forming Die Brucke can be seen as a defiant stroke against the moral police. In his manifesto he is said to have written (Nina Maill, Kirchner, Expressionism and the City, p5): Believing in development and in a new generation both of those who create and those who enjoy, we call upon the young to come together, as young people, who will bear the future, who want freedom in our work and in our lives, independence fro older, established forces. Anyone who conveys directly and without falsification the powers that compel him to create is one of us. Wanting freedom in his work, it is not surprising therefore when we examine his paintings to see the influences of Post Impressionism and Fauvism, both movements that sloughed away the old academic style and sought a fresh perspective. In The Street (1913) and Potsdamer Platz (1914) one can see clearly the influences of these two art forms. The paintings also describe forcefully Kirchner's fascination with the bustling modernity of the metropolis. The Street vibrates with the energy of the city. The brisk pace of life is conveyed through the almost violent brushstrokes. The figures are drawn roughly, almost sketched and no attempt has been made to tone down the forms later. This sort of brushwork is seen in Fauvism, whose very name means beastlike (www.artmovements.co.uk). The influence of van Gogh is also clear in the art though Kirchner forever denied the influence of any other artist on his work. A note of interest is the angularity and sharpness of the figures. Features, limbs have all been drawn with severity and serration in their edges. The very irregularity of the sketch lends to the impression of movement but could also have a deeper significance in light of the disturbed times. In Simmons article he notes that in that year an article came out in the Kritiker on the dangers of luxury and the display of luxury in window displays of hosiery and lingerie shops. The prevailing fear seemed to have been that these would act as honey traps for respectable women, inducing them into immorality. These sorts of items were after all supposed to be shown off only by women like prostitutes and mistresses. It is evident that there is a window display in the painting into which a man is gazing. It seems possible that there is a subtle reference to the prevailing fear of immorality and thus a delicate comment on the current trend in society in the painting as well. The more obvious theme of his joy in the cold wintry night and the modernity of the city is underlain with this aspect. The focal point of the painting is in the figures of the two women, presumably streetwalkers. The flamboyancy and lushness of their attire stands out in deep contrast to the faceless men who press in on them and flank them in the background. Perhaps this is also a quiet indicator of the position of women in society and the fact that he has given them prominence in the painting is his own stand on the issue. Through the very frenzy of motion in this painting Kirchner has also brought out strangely enough the loneliness of a metropolis. The faceless men in their near identical clothes all striding into the icy blue-black night have a strange "aloneness" about them. It is possible that this feeling also derived from within the artist himself for by this time he had estranged himself from Die Brucke This sense of aloofness and loneliness is also very evident in Potsdamer Platz, which was painted the following year. There is some question about the authenticity of his dating the works, as Kirchner later started antedating his art (Gordon p 335). This painting is believed to have been painted a few years later as one of the streetwalkers wears a veil, a practice which did not develop till a few years after this was supposed to have been painted (Sillevis, p150). Here though, though again there is the same violent jagged strokes of paint and appearance of motion the feeling of isolation is even greater. Whereas in the previous painting it was more of the usual anonymity of a busy city, in this painting the loneliness is far more evident, from the deliberate separation of the two women on the island to the figures of the men now more spread out in space. There is a sharp angle of pavement to the right of the women slicing out into the harsh green of the road and this also emphasizes the feeling of disorientation that is heightened by the skewed buildings behind them. The painting also probably reflects Germanys mood at the time; one of uncertainty and with an impending sense of violence. At this point World War I was either on the verge of breaking out or had been declared. The country was preparing itself for war and military forces were recruiting the young men into service, something Kirchner would have objected to. (Later he was recruited and the strain of war took its toll on his health forcing him into a sanatorium and leaving him emotionally crippled for nearly the rest of his life.) What is evident here is also the difference in the way energy is portrayed. In The Street the energy of the city is healthier and cleaner than that of Potsdamer Platz. In the latter there is a darker mood despite the equally vivid colouring. Another point of interest is the veil on one of the women. Though it is supposed to have been a device of prostitutes to enhance their attraction, if one looks at the painting as having been correctly dated, then the veil could represent the censorship of art which was rampant by the police at that time or the suppression of the natural tendencies of humans and the subjugation of women by the current policies in Germany. It could also represent the artists vision of what is to come for Germany as war looms; grief, death and the loss of her growth impetus. The possibilities are numerous. What both these Streetwalker paintings have in common is the deliberate jaggedness of shapes and briskness of motion. These paintings lie in stark contrast to earlier work of his, for example Four Bathers (1910). In this painting Kirchner has captured the figures of naked bathers in a lake one summer. Here the influence of Post Impressionist Paul Gauguin seems clear in the figures. The painting is strangely reminiscent of Gauguin's work Where do we come from.. . The figures of the bathers are rounder here, more natural and softer. The colours are brilliant and applied in pure quick strokes, so they jump out of the canvas forcing the viewer to notice the heat of the day. Even the blue of the water is blindingly clear. Fauvism raises its head again. Despite the nudity, Kirchner has captured the innocence of the scene. It is surprisingly asexual especially when compared to his streetwalker scenes, where the sexuality of the women is prominent even though they are fully clothed. In Potsdamer Platz the figure of the woman on the right has been faithfully delineated through her coat, imbuing her with potent sexuality. The rounded features and limbs in this painting also contribute to the innocent and free bathing ritual. Kirchner has successfully portrayed this freedom from repression as a natural and blameless thing, especially when compared to the completely wrapped up angular figures of "civilization". When comparing the two we notice that the more wrapped up the figures are the more they are shown to be unnaturally sharp and erotic. It is possible that this comments on the feelings of the artist on repression; forbidden fruit tastes sweeter perhaps That the forced hiding and covering up of an object only leads to a desire to break away and uncover it That suppression leads nowhere He has shown natural things such as nudity as simple and pure. And in this portrayal we also realize the influence of primitivism on his work. Primitivism was a major influence on most Expressionists and was a form that was concerned with different cultural phenomena on society, for example sexuality and violence. Primitive paintings used flat colouring, not mixed paint and also relied on the importance of symbols and dreams and abstraction (www.wikipedia.org). Four Bathers is definitely influenced by this art style. Though not immediately obvious the Streetwalker paintings were also influenced to some extent by primitivism, in the form of the mask like faces and rather stylized forms. Perhaps it would be more accurate to describe these works as having been influenced by African sculpture and masks, which bore those sharp edged faces. The mask like features could also be the artist's manner in portraying the anonymity of the individual in a huge city. Since he chose to sketch the moment and its impressions on him he would not be able to concentrate on individual features. In fact the very uniformity of the features contributes to the overall busyness of the street. A detailed face would take away from the impression of blurring changing faces striding by. Primitivism is also noticeable in the rough manner the figures are drawn, as if to emphasize the rawness of art. Expressionism chose to be influenced by art forms like Fauvism, Primitivism and Post Impressionism because these art movements abandoned conventional art techniques in order to lay bare the soul of the picture and describe the harshness and reality that academic art could not portray. The roughness of forms here also could be an indication towards the state of the artists mind; he was growing more depressed during this period. However the use of symbolism is clear in all three paintings, in light of the period in which he lived. They all three make a statement on the topic of sexuality as perceived by that period, something to be covered up and hidden, not talked about by polite society. It cannot be a coincidence that he picked streetwalkers for the focus of both the paintings, as well as many others. Kirchner, after the war was a broken man emotionally. He spent the rest of his life in Switzerland until he took his life in 1938 after the Nazis described his work as degenerate. Public revile in his own country finally was too much for him to bear. Kirchner was deeply unappreciated by his times as most great artists were. However he was more than an artist; he was a social commentator. His paintings reflect the mood of his era better than any history could. His exuberant celebration of the bustling expansion of the cities in response to Germany's economic and industrial boom in the Streetwalker paintings and his personal observation of the loneliness that it could entail show us Germany's development into modern times as clearly as any statistic. His scathing comment on the sexual repression and prudery is also evident in the paintings. His work and that of the other German Expressionists were all aimed at trying to change society and indeed improve on it. It is possible that many of the changes in laws concerning and protecting women would not have been passed for many years more if not for the work that rebelled against it. When Kirchner formed Die Brucke he intended it to be a bridge that would take Germany out of its past from its set mentality into a greater future. He and his peers accomplished that aim (though at great expense to themselves) but they also became a movement by and of themselves. The savagery of his art is a record of the turbulent and unhappy social conditions of Germany from 1900- 1938 and in strange juxtaposition its incredible growth spurts at the time. It manages to be both a celebration of the country and its potential and an indictment of the forces that prevented it from growing into further greatness, instead killing off the spirit of the people. When he painted his self-portrait with an amputated hand after the war, he was not just mourning the loss of his own spirit but that of the country that he loved and belonged to. REFERENCES Gordon, D., (1966), "Kirchner in Dresden", The Art Bulletin, Dec., Vol. 48, No. 3 / 4 , pp335 - 366. Miall N., (2003), "Kirchner: Expressionism and the City, Dresden and Berlin 1905 -1918, An Introduction to the Exhibition." Royal Academy of Arts Myers, B., Praeger, F., (1966) "The German Expressionists: A Generation in Revolt", p11, p125 Sillevis, J., (1980), "Berlin", The Burlington Magazine, Vol.122, No. 923, pp 149 -150. Simmons, S., (2000), "Ernst Kirchner's Streetwalkers: Art, Luxury and Immorality in Berlin 1913-1916.", The Art Bulletin, Vol. 82, No.1, pp117 - 148. www.artmovements.co.uk/fauvism.htm www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWinGermany.htm www.westga.edu/mcormica/WIG18801933_files/frame.htm www.wikipedia.org Read More