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20-626: Much of what is considered by many art historians to be the true peak of German expressionist art occurred in the first decades of the twentieth century just prior to World War I. German expressionism of that period noted for its humourless and vicious criticism of the German government and upper classes, and was dominated by two major artistic groups known as Die Brücke (The Bridge), which was highly critical of Germany's increasingly imperialistic aggression and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), which focused much of its commentary on industrialization's impact on

40-524: A fifteen-year-old girl from the neighbourhood, as "a very lively, beautifully built, joyous individual, without any deformation caused by the silly fashion of the corset and completely suitable to our artistic demands, especially in the blossoming condition of her girlish buds." The group composed a manifesto (mostly Kirchner's work), which was carved on wood and asserted a new generation, "who want freedom in our work and in our lives, independence from older, established forces." In September and October 1906,

60-481: A radical outlook in common. Kirchner continued studies in Munich 1903–1904, returning to Dresden in 1905 to complete his degree. The institution provided a wide range of studies in addition to architecture, such as freehand drawing, perspective drawing and the historical study of art. The name "Brücke" was intended to "symbolize the link, or bridge, they would form with art of the future". The Brücke aimed to eschew

80-587: The Gestapo and their paintings burned in the streets. Many artists considered lost their jobs at universities and museums and were forbidden from painting under threat of imprisonment. The few Jewish members, like the Brazilian-Lithuanian artist Segall, faced particularly harsh persecution and quickly emigrated from Germany; Segall himself moved to Brazil. Die Br%C3%BCcke Die Brücke ( The Bridge ), also known as Künstlergruppe Brücke or KG Brücke ,

100-496: The Novembergruppe . The works of this new generation of disillusioned artists placed a much greater emphasis on political and social reformation through pacifistic means. Rather than adopting the nihilistic social criticism and cynicism of their Die Brücke predecessors, these new expressionist would instead rally around optimistic and utopian beliefs that a happier world built on the ideal of peaceful coexistence could emerge from

120-682: The Fauves, seem tame by comparison. The founding members of the Brücke in 1905 were four Jugendstil architecture students: Fritz Bleyl (1880–1966), Erich Heckel (1883–1970), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976). They met through the Königliche Technische Hochschule ( technical university ) of Dresden , where Kirchner and Bleyl began studying in 1901 and became close friends in their first term. They discussed art together and also studied nature, having

140-763: The carnage and it was not until peace returned in 1918 that a second generation of young German expressionists, many having endured the war through their late teens to early twenties, congregated into a variety of artistic movements opposing the violence of war. In 1918, Conrad Felixmüller moved to Dresden, where he became the founder and chairman of the group. During his activities in Germany's progressive art and youth movements, Felixmüller worked for various newspapers including Die Sichel in Regensburg and Rote Erde in Hamburg ). The Dresdner Sezessionists were heavily influenced by many of

160-530: The first group exhibition was held, focused on the female nude, in the showroom of K.F.M. Seifert and Co. in Dresden. Emil Nolde (1867–1956) and Max Pechstein (1881–1955) joined the group in 1906. Bleyl married in 1907, and, with a concern to support his family, left the group. Otto Mueller (1874–1930) joined in 1910. Between 1907 and 1911, Brücke members stayed during the summer at the Moritzburg lakes and on

180-428: The future in us, we want to wrest freedom for our actions and our lives from the older, comfortably established forces." As part of the affirmation of their national heritage, they revived older media, particularly woodcut prints . The group developed a common style based on vivid color, emotional tension, violent imagery, and an influence from primitivism . After first concentrating exclusively on urban subject matter,

200-432: The group ventured into southern Germany on expeditions arranged by Mueller and produced more nudes and arcadian images. They invented the printmaking technique of linocut , although they at first described them as traditional woodcuts , which they also made. The group members initially "isolated" themselves in a working-class neighborhood of Dresden, aiming thereby to reject their own bourgeois backgrounds. Erich Heckel

220-417: The island of Fehmarn . In 1911, Kirchner moved to Berlin, where he founded a private art school, MIUM-Institut, in collaboration with Max Pechstein with the aim of promulgating "Moderner Unterricht im Malen" (modern teaching of painting). This was not a success and closed the following year. In 1913, Kirchner wrote Chronik der Brücke (Brücke chronicle), which led to the ending of the group. The Brücke

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240-494: The natural world. But the European war brought about the collapse of European society and the major art groups were swiftly broken up and scattered by the onset of the first world war. Those artists who failed to flee Europe found themselves conscripted to the front lines and many important artist such as Franz Marc and August Macke were killed in the trenches. During the war, European art seemed to take an unofficial hiatus amongst

260-490: The other contemporary German art movements of their day. Many of the members kept a close eye on the flourishing avant-garde art movements such as the Dadaists . Artists like Dix adopted and appropriated many traits of dada such as the use of collage compositions into his own expressionistic style. Many founding members including Felixmüller, Dix and Schubert were active in a variety of other socially conscious, incendiary groups such

280-568: The prevalent traditional academic style and find a new mode of artistic expression, which would form a bridge (hence the name) between the past and the present. They responded both to past artists such as Albrecht Dürer , Matthias Grünewald and Lucas Cranach the Elder , as well as contemporary international avant-garde movements. The group published a broadside called Programm der Künstlergruppe Brücke in 1906, where Kirchner wrote: "We call all young people together, and as young people, who carry

300-502: The ruins of 1918. This dream however would die with the advent of World War II and the rise of the Third Reich in the decades to come. Even though the group was officially dissolved in 1925 due to financial difficulties, the members would continue to have active and relatively successful political and artistic careers until the 1930s-40s when many were considered "Degenerates" by the newly formed Nazi Government and declared enemies of

320-452: The state. Under antimodernist Alfred Rosenberg , many forms of modern art including Impressionism, Abstract, Cubism , Dada and Expressionism were declared illegal in the German state in preference for more realistic classical styles. This legislation led to an aggressive and oppressive smear campaign in order to curb and stamp out modern art. Suddenly Felixmüller, Dix and the rest of the former secessionists found their studios being raided by

340-549: Was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. The founding members were Fritz Bleyl , Erich Heckel , Ernst Ludwig Kirchner , and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff . Later members were Emil Nolde , Max Pechstein , and Otto Mueller . The seminal group had a major impact on the evolution of modern art in the 20th century and the creation of expressionism . The group came to an end around 1913. The Brücke Museum in Berlin

360-582: Was able to obtain an empty butcher's shop on the Berlinerstrasse in Friedrichstadt for their use as a studio. Bleyl described the studio as: Kirchner's studio became a venue which overthrew social conventions to allow casual love-making and frequent nudity. Group life-drawing sessions took place using models from the social circle, rather than professionals, and choosing quarter-hour poses to encourage spontaneity. Bleyl described one such model, Isabella,

380-608: Was named after the group. The Brücke is sometimes compared to the roughly contemporary French group of the Fauves . Both movements shared interests in primitivist art and in the expressing of extreme emotion through high-keyed colors that were very often non-naturalistic. Both movements employed a drawing technique that was crude, and both groups shared an antipathy to complete abstraction . The Brücke artists' emotionally agitated paintings of city streets and sexually charged events transpiring in country settings made their French counterparts,

400-450: Was one of two groups of German painters fundamental to Expressionism, the other being Der Blaue Reiter group ("The Blue Rider"), formed in Munich in 1911. The influence of the Brücke went far beyond its founding members. As a result, the style of a number of painters is associated to the Brücke, even if they were not formerly part of the group. As an example, French academician and art specialist, Maurice Rheims mentions Frédéric Fiebig as

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