Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig

Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig (1880-1938), German painter, who was one of the leading exponents of Expressionism. He was influenced by the strong colours and compositional distortions of Neo-Impressionism and by the expressiveness of African and Oceanian woodcarving (see African Art and Architecture, Oceanic Art). As a founding member of the Expressionist group Die Brücke in Dresden in 1905, Kirchner tried to distill natural forms in radical and sometimes brutal simplifications. In such paintings as Self-Portrait with Model (1907, Kunsthalle, Hamburg), his bold lines and clashing colours create a sense of violent emotion. Moving to Berlin in 1911, Kirchner produced some of the most characteristic work of German Expressionism, especially in scenes with women, such as Five Women in the Street (1913, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne), in which grotesque distortions mock the mannered artificiality of Berlin society. His work in the late 1920s became increasingly abstract as he attempted to solve theoretical questions. The Nazis deemed him a degenerate artist and confiscated 600 of his paintings. Soon afterwards, he committed suicide.