Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was a German painter born on 6 May 1880 in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria. In 1901, Kirchner enrolled at the Dresden Technical High School. His interest in art grew, and he decided to focus primarily on art. In 1905, Kirchner co-founded the Die Brucke artist group with classmates Erich Heckel and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, intending to bridge traditional and avant-garde art forms.
The group held its first exhibition the following year and stayed together till 1913, after which Kirchner changed his focus and began establishing his identity as an artist. Around this time, he also changed his subject matter to depictions of life in Berlin. Kirchner joined the military in 1915 and was released in the same year due to a nervous breakdown.
After recovering, Kirchner moved to a new house in the Alps, inspiring an interest in painting mountain landscapes. He continued painting and exhibiting across Europe, winning acclaim for his aesthetic style. Kirchner became a Prussian Academy of Arts member in 1931, resigning forcibly two years later because of German Nazis. He died on 15 July 1938 in Switzerland.
What was Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Known For?
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was known for paintings and depictions of Berlin life with a palette of unique colors, graphic lines, and bold brushstrokes. After the dispersion of the Die Brucke group, Kirchner’s works featured modern life in Berlin with deep colors and skewed figures and compositions. He worked primarily with oil paints.
Who was Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Influenced By?
Ernst Kirchner was influenced by Albrecht Durer and early Expressionists. Kirchner and the rest of the Die Brucke group made paintings in response to Durer’s works, which also featured bold and expressive compositions.
What Art Movement was Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Associated With?
Ernst Kirchner was associated with the Neo-Expressionism art movement.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Artwork
Below are some of the artworks of Ernst Kirchner
Artist begging for applause
Bathing women in a room
Coffee drinking women
Couples
Couples
Crouching girl
Dodo and her brother
Dodo with a Japanese umbrella
Dodo with a large fan
Female artist
Girl with a long hair
Hamburg dancers
Girl under a Japanese parasol
Lovers
Milli
Seated lady (Dodo)
Self portrait with a model
Street
Two girls
All Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Artwork on Artchive
| Artwork Name | Year | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Selbstbildnis als Soldat | 1915 | Oil on Canvas |
| Girl Under a Japanese Parasol | 1909 | Oil on Canvas |
| A Group of Artists Otto Mueller, Kirchner, Heckel, Schmidt-Rottluff | 1926-27 | Oil on Canvas |
| Two Women in the Street | 1914 | Oil on Canvas |
| Self-Portrait with Model | 1910 | Oil on Canvas |
