Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Nollendorfplatz, 1912 Photo: Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
Brücke 1905–1913
Timeline
1905
Formation of a New Artist Group
Architecture students Fritz Bleyl and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner founded the artist group Brücke (Bridge) with Erich Heckel and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff in Dresden on 7 June. This is a city full of bridges, and the young artists wish to create such a link between the contemporary painting style and the painting of the future. Supporting members, who are invited to assist the new art by paying a fee to receive an annual portfolio of prints, are also welcome. Brücke’s first exhibition is held in November at a gallery in Leipzig.
An exhibition of Vincent van Gogh’s works opens at Dresden’s Galerie Ernst Arnold in late autumn. The Dutch artist’s irreverent way with colour, as well as his dynamic, charged brushstrokes, are an inspiration to the young artists of Brücke.
Rebellion in the Colonies and Discontent at Home
The Maji Maji Rebellion begins in German East Africa, with multiple tribes rising up against oppression and exploitation on the plantations. Emperor Wilhelm II’s quest for global domination triggers a crisis in Morocco, bringing about tensions between Germany and France. Imperialism leads to higher taxes and tariffs, causing elevated food prices, while wages are stagnant despite rising living costs. Widespread strikes erupt, including in Dresden, where protests by 3,000 female tobacco workers are gaining international support.
A New Look for a New Society
Recent years, fierce debates have erupted between the prevailing style of Historicism and the newer reform movements such as Jugendstil in Germany and Arts and Crafts in England. Architects, craftsmen, artists, and scientists work together to create a new style that suits the contemporary societal, social, and industrial needs.
1906
Scandalizing!
An exhibition poster in bright orange, signed by Fritz Bleyl, has been rejected for public exhibition. The police describe the motif, a naked woman whose pubic area is visible, as immodest. “Of course the public must be protected from such things,” Bleyl comments, with a hint of sarcasm.
Review in Dresdner Anzeiger, no. 275, 6 October 1906:
If you view the more or less robust application of the colour principles of Pointillism, that is, the unmixed colours of the solar spectrum, as ‘modern’, then the oil paintings are ‘modern in the highest degree, with one or two exceptions... This, however, means that [the artist] is derivative in his artistic sensitivity and artistic imagination, not original, which is to say not one of a kind.
New Exhibition at Seifert’s Lamp Factory
The Brücke group invites visitors to yet another exhibition at the Karl Max Seifert lamp factory, this time with a focus on woodcuts. Kirchner displays a woodcut with the group’s manifesto, which proclaims that “whoever renders directly and authentically what drives him to create” is one of them.
“Believing in progress, in a new generation of creators and enjoyers, we summon
all young people to join together, and as young people, bearers of the future, we
want to free our arms and our lives from the established older forces.
Anyone who renders directly and honestly whatever impels his creativity is one of us.”
One Out, Two In!
The founding Brücke artists are keen on expanding the group with other interesting artists. Emil Nolde joined in February, and now the group also includes both Max Pechstein and Swiss artist Cuno Amiet. Their entreaties to Norwegian painter Edvard Munch go unheard.
1907
Two Out, One In!
The well-established Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela has now joined Brücke, and some of his prints are included in one of their touring exhibitions. Both Nolde and Bleyl have decided to leave the group. No fewer than three different exhibitions of Brücke’s works are touring Germany this year.
Coastal Painting
Schmidt-Rottluff has spent the summer in Dangast and Dangastermoor on the German North Sea Coast, and Heckel joins him there in the fall. The coastal landscape lends itself well to their colourful style of painting, and they both plan to return the following summer.
Pablo Picasso has completed “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” in Paris.
What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end: what can be loved in man is that he is an overture and a going under. – Friedrich Nietzsche, in "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"
1908
Encounter between German and French Expressionism
The third annual Brücke exhibition in Dresden in September coincides with a presentation of French Fauves, including Paul Signac, Maurice de Vlaminck, and Kees van Dongen. The Expressionism of the Fauve painters is characterized by a decorative sense of beauty and bright, vivid fields of colour.
Max Pechstein has decided to leave Dresden for Berlin, but remains a member of Brücke.
1909
Latest News about Brücke
The Dutch-French artist Kees van Dongen has joined Brücke, though neither Edvard Munch, approached for the second time, nor the French Fauve Henri Matisse have accepted the group’s invitations. Heckel and Kirchner are spending the summer at the Moritzburg lakes near Dresden, painting nude models in the open air. Schmidt-Rottluff has again travelled to Dangast, while Pechstein spent time in the fishing village of Nida.
Modernist Breakthrough in Sweden
The Stockholm artist group De unga (The Young Ones), also known as “The Men of 1909”, has presented their work in a much-vaunted exhibition. Isaac Grünewald is one of the members of the group whose work is described as modernism’s breakthrough in Sweden.
Futurist Manifesto Published in Le Figaro
The first Futurist manifesto, signed by F.T. Marinetti, was published on the front page of Le Figaro on 20 February. The futurists proclaim that they reject history, celebrate speed, machines, violence, youth, and industry, seeking the modernization and cultural rejuvenation of Italy.
The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. – Walt Whitman
1910
National Recognition
Dresden’s Ernst Arnold Gallery is presenting Brücke’s art alongside works by both Paul Gauguin and Edvard Munch. The exhibition has attracted attention in Berlin, just as Brücke’s participation in the New Secession exhibition during the spring occasioned multiple articles in the press.
Yet Another Summer at the Moritzburg Lakes
Otto Mueller has joined Brücke. Heckel, Pechstein, and Kirchner have spent yet another summer at the Moritzburg lakes, accompanied by their young model Fränzi and others. The stay has resulted in numerous drawings and paintings.
New Publishing House and Magazine Launches in Berlin
Writer and composer Herwarth Walden has launched Der Sturm, a publishing house and magazine in Berlin. The magazine will publish articles on topics such as the new aesthetic along with illustrations by Brücke artists and others.
Brücke’s Art Harshly Criticized
Brücke is denied participation in the Berlin Secession and faces harsh criticism for its works in the New Secession show at Kunstsalon Maximilian Macht. “An unparalleled ugliness,” writes one critic, adding, “We find ourselves in a small room where some of the works might be bearable if one stood far, far away from them – or if one were passing by on an express train.”
The Ethnographic Museum Reopens
The Ethnographic Museum in Dresden reopens, with a collection that has grown immensely over the last few years due to colonial raids. The Brücke artists are particularly interested in a carved wooden beam from the Palau archipelago in the Pacific, which provides them with inspiration for several artworks.
The Comet That Didn’t Strike
Halley’s comet has barrelled past Earth without any noticeable impact on life. The mass hysteria that has prevailed since the news of the comet’s tail containing poisonous cyanide appears to have faded.
1911
The Latest on Brücke
This year, Brücke has exhibited twice with the New Secession in Berlin. Heckel, Kirchner, and Pechstein have again spent the summer at the Moritzburg lakes, and both Kirchner and Schmidt-Rottluff move to Berlin in the autumn. Kirchner and Pechstein open the MUIM Institute of Painting, which will prove to be short-lived.
Der Blaue Reiter
In Munich, painters Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc launch a magazine and artist group called Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). Kandinsky publishes On the Spiritual in Art. Compared to Brücke, the Blaue Reiter’s Expressionism is more abstract.
Berlin, that means fight, tragedy, naked life, will, energy, brutality, strength, nerves and spirit. – Hans Kaiser, in the first monograph of the painter Max Beckmann, 1913
1912
Pechstein leaves Brücke!
Pechstein has accepted an invitation to exhibit with the Berlin Secession. This despite the fact that Brücke, which view itself both an artist group and an exhibition collective, has made a common decision not to participate. Following such a betrayal, it is impossible for Pechstein to remain in the group.
Marcel Duchamp finishes his “Nude Descending a Staircase”, a work that combines elements of both Cubism and Futurism. The painting attracts great attention.
50,000 Prostitutes on the Streets of Berlin
Although prostitutes are viewed as morally depraved, prostitution is considered necessary to meet men’s need for sex outside of marriage. It is estimated that there are now 50,000 prostitutes in Berlin alone
Conflict in the Balkans
Several states in the Balkans have joined forces to break the weakening Ottoman dominance in the area. On October 8, war broke out between the so-called Balkan League (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia) and the Ottoman Empire.
1913
Cubism, Futurism, and Orphism
New art movements from France and Italy inspire our German Expressionists. Cubists such as Pablo Picasso and George Braque break up the conventional pictorial space, while Futurists including Giacomo Balla capture movement in broken perspectives. Orphists such as Sonia and Robert Delauney create completely abstract paintings in bright colours.
Break-Up!
Brücke breaks up over dispute! On 27 May, supporting members receive news that Brücke is disbanding. The split happens over the Chronik der KG Brücke, a chronicle that Kirchner had agreed to compile. Other members feel that the book is too subjective and overly programmatic, with Kirchner exaggerating his own importance to the group’s development.
Heckel writes in a letter to fellow member Cuno Amiet:
Certain disagreements have prevented the publication of Chronik and are now forcing us to dissolve Brücke.
More Conflict in the Balkans and Risk of a Major War!
The Ottoman Empire’s 500-year rule has ended with the Treaty of London, putting a temporary end to the Balkan War, but conflict broke out again on 16 June. The atmosphere in Europe is tense, and a great war is appearing increasingly inevitable.
