A few weeks ago we went to see the Kirchner Retrospective at the Staedel Museum. With 170 works on display, it is a fairly large exhibit covering his entire productive period and the different styles of work and media. It is the first major retrospective in Germany in thirty years. Kirchner was a founding member of Die Brücke, one of the artist groups at the turn of the 20th century that developed the subjective painting style known as expressionism. He was born in 1880 in Aschaffenberg, Bavaria, not far from Frankfurt. He was one of the major victims of the nazi attacks on "degenerate" art. His works were confiscated and removed from museums, including the Staedel. Kirchner had left Germany for Davos in 1917, suffering from panic attacks and depression during his brief stint in the military. He did not fight in WWI. Kirchner committed suicide in 1938, shortly after Germany had annexed Austria and before World War II started.
Kirchner was a bit tricky about the sources of his influences. He vocally denied being influenced by certain painters or movements, even going as far as backdating some of his works. Standing in front of the paintings, his influences, particularly in his early and late works, are obvious. Walking through rooms full of Kirchner paintings involves taking a bath in rich colors and strong lines. The emotions are cool to nightmarish, sensual to neurotic. I really liked his engravings and World War I works with their dark moods. His street scenes of Berlin are perhaps his most famous works, as are the works showing the young girls who lived near the artist colony where Kirchner lived and the nude portraits of Kirchner's and his colleagues's partners. In spite of his impressive body of work, there is something vaguely dissatisfying about his work as a whole, something missed, left out or surpressed. Nevertheless, many of his works are worth visiting repeatedly, and an exhibit of this size was an exceptional treat. The Staedel website linked above also has English content (click "en" in the upper right of the screen). In particular, there is a lengthy, informative video with English subtitles that you can watch. Max Hollein, the Staedel's director who also appears in the video, has been a dynamic force in Frankfurt for top-notch exhibits, and the Staedel has an excellent collection of Kirchner's work.
Kirchner was a bit tricky about the sources of his influences. He vocally denied being influenced by certain painters or movements, even going as far as backdating some of his works. Standing in front of the paintings, his influences, particularly in his early and late works, are obvious. Walking through rooms full of Kirchner paintings involves taking a bath in rich colors and strong lines. The emotions are cool to nightmarish, sensual to neurotic. I really liked his engravings and World War I works with their dark moods. His street scenes of Berlin are perhaps his most famous works, as are the works showing the young girls who lived near the artist colony where Kirchner lived and the nude portraits of Kirchner's and his colleagues's partners. In spite of his impressive body of work, there is something vaguely dissatisfying about his work as a whole, something missed, left out or surpressed. Nevertheless, many of his works are worth visiting repeatedly, and an exhibit of this size was an exceptional treat. The Staedel website linked above also has English content (click "en" in the upper right of the screen). In particular, there is a lengthy, informative video with English subtitles that you can watch. Max Hollein, the Staedel's director who also appears in the video, has been a dynamic force in Frankfurt for top-notch exhibits, and the Staedel has an excellent collection of Kirchner's work.
Marzella 1909
Berlin Street 1913
Erna 1930
2 comments:
I would have loved to have seen that exhibition!
I kinda had a feeling that you'd have enjoyed this Mr. A. It was one of the best special exhibits that I've seen at the Staedel.
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