Prints Of The German Expressionists And Their Circle

The Specks Collection is noted for its high quality, breadth, and profound graphic power. In celebration of the gift to the museum, the collection is presented here for the first time in its entirety.

Published in 1957, German Expressionist Painting was the first comprehensive study of one of the most pivotal movements in the art of this century. When it was written, however, German Expressionism seemed like an eccentric manifestation far removed from what was then considered the mainstream of modern art. But as historians well know, each generation alters the concept of mainstream to encompass those aspects of the past which seem most relevant to the present. The impact of German Expressionism on the art and thought of later generations could never have been anticipated at the time of the original writing of this book. During the subsequent years an enormous body of scholarly research and an even larger number of popular books on German expressionist art has been printed. Numerous monographs and detailed studies on most of the artists exist now and countless exhibitions with accompanying catalogues have taken place. Much of this new research could have been incorporated in a revised edition and the bibliography certainly could have been greatly expanded to include the important writings which have been published in Germany, the United States and elsewhere since this book was originally issued. The author, however, was faced with the choice of reprinting the original text with only the most necessary alterations-such as updating the captions to indicate present locations of the paintings-or the preparation of a revised text and bibliography. Desirable as a revision appeared, present printing costs would have priced the paperback out of reach for students. It is for this reason that I decided to reissue the original text which stands on its own as a primary investigation of German Expressionist Painting.

This volume, published in conjunction with the Milwaukee Museum of Art's Granvil and Marcia Specks collection, presents a collection of the Museum's German Expressionist prints. German Expressionism refers to a creative movement beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s. The author has included a body of imagery that reveals the myriad concerns of the age -- the joys and the pain of life in Germany from the 1890s to the 1930s. The prints of Kathe Kollwitz, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, George Grosz and Lionel Feininger are only a few of the wide range of artists whose work reflected the fragile years from the Second Empire to the rise of the Nazis. This work showcases etchings and drypoints of biting spontaneity and intensity, lithographs of corrosive ingenuity, and woodcuts to stir the soul heralded an era of individuality and democracy.

During the early-20th century the leaders of the German Expressionism were also the greatest European printmakers of their day. This catalogue discusses and illustrates over 200 prints and 44 printed books, and includes the work of artists such as Bruecke, Kirchner and Heckel.

This wordless graphic novel tells its socially charged story through 188 stark, arresting images. Open to endless interpretations, the tragic, often violent, story of a young girl unfolds through 17 chapters.

Presents over one hundred woodcuts by nearly thirty German Expressionists, primarily from the early twentieth century, including works by Edvard Munch and Ernst Barlach.

Between 1900 and 1933 Expressionist artists created some of the most dramatic and enduring images of the twentieth century. This volume brings together the thoughts and aspirations of the individuals who brought about this revolutionary epoch in the visual arts. It offers readers the opportunity to engage at firsthand with key writings by the most significant artists of the Expressionist era.