Bern with Belltower (1935) painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. by Studio POPPY

Bern with Belltower (1935) painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Stylistically, the truly autonomous work of Kirchner in his Die Brücke period is characterized, like all the work of Die Brücke, by a very primary use of color. At the same time, much attention was paid to autonomous expression. However, the collectivity of the style sometimes makes it difficult to distinguish the different artists. Within Die Brücke, however, Kirchner is considered a forerunner, something he gladly confirmed, including by antedating his work. Among other things, this pride led to the breakup of Die Brücke.

Kirchner was particularly influenced by Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch, whose works were exhibited in 1905 and 1906. Starting in 1909, the art of Oceania and, to a lesser extent, Africa became an important source of inspiration for Kirchner, although he himself claimed it was 1903. During his development, Kirchner also studied Impressionism and Pointillism, but this did not appeal to him. He preferred to graft himself onto post-impressionism. Kirchner's lover, Doris Grosse, was his main model. We see her frequently in his paintings.

From 1910 onwards Kirchner painted many cityscapes ('Großstadtbilder'), mainly of Berlin. A famous work from this time is Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, in which he depicted two prostitutes.[1] In Kirchner's works, the fringe figures of society often had a leading role.