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Collection Publications: Klinger to Kollwitz Labels9
Co-founder and self-appointed leader of the Brücke, Kirchner provided the group's driving motivational force, incessantly producing experimental works in a wide variety of media. Central to the Brücke's commitment to freedom of expression was the non academic gestural sketch of the human body in motion. The most gifted draftsman in the group, Kirchner was particularly inspired by Rembrandt's figure studies, which showed him "how to depict movement itself." Kirchner's own quest for a simplified, two-dimensional formal language led to a spare calligraphy he called "hieroglyphs," a term that reflected his interest in Egyptian art.
This "hieroglyphic" cabaret singer dates from the year Kirchner moved from Dresden to Berlin. The switch from a more provincial setting to a modern metropolis dramatically affected Kirchner's style; the figures became more angular and elongated, and more isolated from their surroundings. Evoking the frenzy of Berlin nightlife on the eve of World War I, the impassioned yet anonymous singer is highlighted against a once vibrant yellow ground, analogous to the brilliant colored papers Kirchner often used in his prints.
This "hieroglyphic" cabaret singer dates from the year Kirchner moved from Dresden to Berlin. The switch from a more provincial setting to a modern metropolis dramatically affected Kirchner's style; the figures became more angular and elongated, and more isolated from their surroundings. Evoking the frenzy of Berlin nightlife on the eve of World War I, the impassioned yet anonymous singer is highlighted against a once vibrant yellow ground, analogous to the brilliant colored papers Kirchner often used in his prints.
