Fränzi in front of Carved Chair

This portrait of a girl from the working-class district of Friedrichstadt in Dresden is one of the finest examples of the Expressionist style of the German group Die Brücke. The style is characterised by the simplification of form and the arbitrary use of color. The members of the group had an interest in the expressing of extreme emotion through high-keyed color that was very often non-naturalistic. They emotionally agitated paintings of city streets and sexually charged events transpiring in country settings.

Here, Fränzi, who modelled for a number of portraits by Kirchner and other members of the group, sits on a chair whose back has been carved into the shape of a naked woman. The girl stares defiantly at the viewer as the intense green of her face, defined by thick, unnaturalistic brushstrokes, contrasts sharply with the pink flesh tones of the female figure that frames her. The frontal placing of the sitter suggests the influence of Munch, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, and also recalls the Arts of Africa and Oceania.

If you would like to know more about Kirchner - one of the founders of the group Die Brücke - read this article: "Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – Tension Of The Modern Times".