Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born in 1880 in Aschaffenburg, Germany, and became one of the founders of the Expressionist group Die Brücke. Trained in architecture, he turned to art as a means of expressing emotional intensity and modern experience. Kirchner’s work is known for its bold colors, angular forms, and raw energy. His paintings often depict urban life, movement, and psychological tension.

Kirchner sought to break away from academic traditions and create a more direct, instinctive form of expression. His art reflects the anxieties and excitement of early 20th-century modernity. After World War I, he struggled with mental health issues, which deeply affected his work. Labeled a degenerate artist by the Nazi regime, his art was removed from public collections. Kirchner lived his later years in Switzerland. He died in 1938. His work remains central to the history of German Expressionism and modern art.