Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Today we present a painting created by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who was a German Expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of Die Brücke (The Bridge) group of artists, a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century art.
Winter Landscape in Moonlight portrays the Tinzenhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps with striking vibrancy. This scene held deep personal significance for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who had retreated to the Alps years earlier to recover from a nervous breakdown caused by his army service in the First World War. The natural surroundings played a vital role in his spiritual and physical renewal, inspiring him to capture his profound connection to the landscape.
As an insomniac, Kirchner observed the ever-changing interplay of light and color at different hours of the night and day. This painting reflects the extraordinary palette created by moonlight on snow-covered slopes. Bold strokes of blue, magenta, deep orange, and purple bring the predawn scene to life, emphasizing the dramatic angularity of the peaks and imbuing the composition with dynamic energy.
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P.S. Please take a moment to reflect on a few more paintings in our How To Look At Art (Free Course). We will guide you on how to appreciate art and give you some hints about how to make looking at art a process similar to meditation—how to open yourself up to art so it can resonate with you.
P.P.S. Here are 5 artists who became soldiers during the First World War. If you want to know more about Kirchner and his artistic circle, here's all you need to know about Expressionism, one of the most fascinating 20th-century art movements!