“Alpine Path after the Thunderstorm” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, limited reproduction

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a founding member of the artists' group "Die Brücke" and a leading figure of Expressionism, left behind an extensive oeuvre of approximately 30,000 works, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures. On June 15, 1938, he took his own life in Switzerland after destroying his printing blocks and many sculptures in fear of the impending threat of German troops. Kirchner was born on May 6, 1880, in Aschaffenburg and had lived in Switzerland since 1918; periods of depression and his involvement in the First World War significantly exacerbated his anxieties. His work reflects the various phases of his artistic development: from the expressive paintings of "Die Brücke" to plein air painting and critical Berlin street scenes after the group's dissolution in 1913. It was only during his quieter years in Switzerland that he rediscovered a more harmonious use of color and flowing forms. Despite his artistic achievements, the defamation of his works as "degenerate art" by the National Socialists led to a renewed increase in his anxieties, which ultimately contributed to his tragic end.