Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

The autodidactic artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who was born in Aschaffenburg in 1880, is one of the most important representatives of Expressionism. Kirchner, along with Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Fritz Bleyl, is the main founder of the artist group, the »Brücke«. The focus of the group's artistic creativity was the drawing, which was intended to serve as a medium for capturing fleeting moments and the associated sensations. For example, Kirchner drew impulsive contour drawings of a model, which changed between different poses every 15 minutes in the course of the so-called »Viertelstundenakte«. Despite the dynamic gesture, these depictions are characterized by a strong expression and radiance of lightness and lightheartedness, which emphasizes the artist's ability to capture the essence of a moment. Kirchner's drawings form the basis of his work, from which he derives his prints and paintings.