Return of the Animals (1919)
Technique: Giclée quality print
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"Return of the Animals" (1919) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is a vivid and dynamically composed landscape that captures the enchanting atmosphere of a mountainside village enveloped in the routine of pastoral life. This striking painting exhibits Kirchner's expressionist style through the use of bold, unblended colors and stark contrasts which emphasize the rhythms of natural life and human activity.In the foreground, various animals, particularly cows and goats, are being guided along village paths by their handlers, marking perhaps the end of a day's grazing. The landscape is punctuated by quaint, angular houses painted predominantly in shades of blue and white, which strikingly offset the fiery reds, yellows, and greens of the mountainous backdrop.The scene is set under a tumultuous sky where swirling clouds echo the dynamic forms of the mountain peaks. This choice of color and form evokes a raw, almost mystical connection to nature characteristic of Kirchner's work. The painting not only reflects the daily life and interaction between humans and animals but also expresses a deeper resonance with the landscape—a typical theme in Kirchner’s exploration of the relationship between humans and their environments.
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) was one of the most important German Expressionist painters. He was a co-founder of Die Brücke, a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. Die Brücke and Kirchner took inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch, as well as African and Oceanic art. They used woodblock printing as a medium to showcase their signature style: flat, unrealistic images with vivid colors. The recurring themes in Kirchner's artworks included exotic cultures, faraway landscapes, self-portraits, dancers and Berlin street life. His paintings and prints effectively portrayed non-European cultures despite the fact that he never traveled outside of Europe.