In art school, our art history course included a section on German Expressionism, featuring some paintings by Ludwig Kirchner. They looked something like this:
Ludwig Kirchner, “Street, Berlin” (1913)
I remember not liking them at the time. Expressionism? Everyone’s squeezed in like bristling sardines! The darkness behind the colors, the acidic contrasts, the dampening black, and the sharp downward angles all felt overwhelming to me. After the mention in the books, I never looked him up on my own, and I groaned every time his name came up.
Not a Bonnard – it’s by Kirchner!
Today, though, I was searching for some happy landscape paintings. I’d recently revisited Bonnard’s work, whose colors always delight me, but I wanted to discover something new. That’s when I stumbled across these colorful landscapes by Kirchner—paintings I’d never seen before. Lots and lots of them! They surprised me. Some of the lines and spaces remind me of Cézanne, Van Gogh, or even Mondrian during his late tree phase. The colors feel closer to the French Fauvists—bold, bright, and slightly clashing, but undeniably eye candy.
Kirchner’s earlier works, with their sharp angles and jarring contrasts, described the fractured, anxious world he experienced in early 1900s Germany.
Kirchner’s Self-Portrait as a Soldier” (1915)
Most of his landscapes, however, came later, after his breakdown during World War I. He moved to Davos, Switzerland, in 1917, and in those works, it seems he found something lighter, maybe happiness.
I’d like to tell you about the most unusual art class I’ve ever been a part of, a class called “Figure in Interior.” “Figure in Interior” sounds normal enough, but this class was anything but normal. I specially designed this Thursday series of Intermediate Studio to shift the artist’s focus away from illustrating the scene …
As preparation for this Saturday’s workshop Paint like Degas, I’m digging in some art history to get perspective on the range of Degas’ art. Although he was eternally unsatisfied with his work, and he could a miserable jerk to people, early in his career it seems he was especially extra miserable with his artwork. He …
[image_with_animation image_url=”11354″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] UPCOMING SHOW Lad Decker: Peacekeeping October 1-30, 2018 Our abstract painting teacher for fall is having a show of new work. Lad Decker paints large bold abstractions: reflections on American and global conflicts through the machines and landscapes of war. This is part of her series Conflict of Interest. …
The first print ended up being too dark, but I liked the stippled grey and felt confident I could make a better plate without much effort. I loved the brush strokes on the vase. I’m going to like Vitreography. We start Tuesday!
Unexpected Happiness in Landscapes by Kirchner
In art school, our art history course included a section on German Expressionism, featuring some paintings by Ludwig Kirchner. They looked something like this:
Ludwig Kirchner, “Street, Berlin” (1913)
I remember not liking them at the time. Expressionism? Everyone’s squeezed in like bristling sardines! The darkness behind the colors, the acidic contrasts, the dampening black, and the sharp downward angles all felt overwhelming to me. After the mention in the books, I never looked him up on my own, and I groaned every time his name came up.
Today, though, I was searching for some happy landscape paintings. I’d recently revisited Bonnard’s work, whose colors always delight me, but I wanted to discover something new. That’s when I stumbled across these colorful landscapes by Kirchner—paintings I’d never seen before. Lots and lots of them! They surprised me. Some of the lines and spaces remind me of Cézanne, Van Gogh, or even Mondrian during his late tree phase. The colors feel closer to the French Fauvists—bold, bright, and slightly clashing, but undeniably eye candy.
Kirchner’s earlier works, with their sharp angles and jarring contrasts, described the fractured, anxious world he experienced in early 1900s Germany.
Kirchner’s Self-Portrait as a Soldier” (1915)
Most of his landscapes, however, came later, after his breakdown during World War I. He moved to Davos, Switzerland, in 1917, and in those works, it seems he found something lighter, maybe happiness.
Unexpected Happiness in Landscapes by Kirchner
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I’d like to tell you about the most unusual art class I’ve ever been a part of, a class called “Figure in Interior.” “Figure in Interior” sounds normal enough, but this class was anything but normal. I specially designed this Thursday series of Intermediate Studio to shift the artist’s focus away from illustrating the scene …
Degas’ Failed Historical Paintings
As preparation for this Saturday’s workshop Paint like Degas, I’m digging in some art history to get perspective on the range of Degas’ art. Although he was eternally unsatisfied with his work, and he could a miserable jerk to people, early in his career it seems he was especially extra miserable with his artwork. He …
Lad Decker
[image_with_animation image_url=”11354″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] UPCOMING SHOW Lad Decker: Peacekeeping October 1-30, 2018 Our abstract painting teacher for fall is having a show of new work. Lad Decker paints large bold abstractions: reflections on American and global conflicts through the machines and landscapes of war. This is part of her series Conflict of Interest. …
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The first print ended up being too dark, but I liked the stippled grey and felt confident I could make a better plate without much effort. I loved the brush strokes on the vase. I’m going to like Vitreography. We start Tuesday!