The artists’ group Die Brücke was established in 1905, a moment that is recognized as the birth of Expressionism. The affiliated artists often turned to simplified or distorted forms and unusually strong, unnatural colors to jolt the viewer and provoke an emotional response. Its leading members were Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Pechstein, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. The name Brücke (“bridge”) reflects these artists’ youthful eagerness to cross into a new future. The Brücke artists worked together communally until 1913.
Die Brücke (The Bridge)
6 examples
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Bathers Throwing Reeds (Mit Schilf werfende Badende) from Brücke 1910 1909, published 1910
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Max Pechstein Dancer (Pair of Dancers) (Tänzerin [Tänzerpaar]) 1909
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Erich Heckel Fränzi Reclining (Fränzi liegend) 1910
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Erich Heckel White Horses (Weisse Pferde) 1912
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Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Pharisees 1912
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Street, Dresden 1908 (reworked 1919; dated on painting 1907)