Kirchner’s Street, Dresden (FIG.
35-5) provides a glimpse into the
frenzied urban activity of a bustling
German city before World War I.
Rather than offering the distant,
panoramic urban view of the Impres-
sionists (FIG. 31-5), Kirchner’s street
scene is jarring and dissonant in both
composition and color. The women
in the foreground loom large, ap-
proaching somewhat menacingly. The
steep perspective of the street, which
threatens to push the women directly
into the viewer’s space, increases their
confrontational nature. Harshly ren-
dered, the women’s features make them appear ghoulish, and the gar-
ish, clashing colors—juxtapositions of bright orange, emerald green,
chartreuse, and pink—add to the expressive impact of the image.
Kirchner’s perspectival distortions, disquieting figures, and color
choices reflect the influence of the work of Edvard Munch, who made
similar expressive use of formal elements in The Scream (FIG. 31-27).EMIL NOLDE Much older than most Die Brücke artists was Emil
Nolde(1867–1956), but because he pursued similar ideas in his
work, the younger artists invited him to join
their group in 1906. (Die Brücke dissolved by
1913, and each member continued to work in-
dependently.) The content of Nolde’s work
centered, for the most part, on religious im-
agery. In contrast to the quiet spirituality and
restraint of traditional religious images, how-
ever, Nolde’s paintings, for example,Saint
Mary of Egypt among Sinners(FIG. 35-6), are
visceral and forceful. Mary, before her conver-
sion, entertains lechers whose lust magnifies
their brutal ugliness. The distortions of form
and color (especially the jolting juxtaposition
of blue and orange) and the rawness of the
brush strokes amplify the harshness of the
leering faces.Borrowing ideas from van Gogh, Munch, the Fauves, and African
and Oceanic art (see “Primitivism and Colonialism,” page 920), Nolde
and the other Die Brücke artists created images that derive much of
their power from a dissonance and seeming lack of finesse. The harsh
colors, aggressively brushed paint, and distorted forms expressed the
artists’ feelings about the injustices of society and their belief in a
healthful union of human beings and nature. Their use of these di-
verse sources reflects the expanding scope of global contact brought
about by colonialism and international capitalism.35-5Ernst Ludwig Kirchner,
Street, Dresden,1908 (dated 1907). Oil
on canvas, 4 111 – 4 6 67 – 8 . Museum
of Modern Art, New York.
Kirchner’s perspectival distortions,
disquieting figures, and color choices
reflect the influence of the Fauves and
of Edvard Munch (FIG. 31-27), who
made similar expressive use of formal
elements.35-6Emil Nolde,Saint Mary of Egypt among
Sinners,1912. Left panel of a triptych, oil on
canvas, 2 10 3 3 . Hamburger Kunsthalle,
Hamburg.
In contrast to the quiet spirituality of traditional
religious images, Nolde’s paintings produce
visceral emotions and feature distortions of
form, jarring juxtapositions of color, and raw
brush strokes.914 Chapter 35 EUROPE AND AMERICA, 1900 TO 19451 ft.1 ft.35-6ANOLDE,
Masks, 1911.