Modern paintings, drawings, watercolours — A533: Modern, Post War und Contemporary Art
Walter Ophey was a German artist. He was known for his modernist paintings, which often depicted landscapes and still-life scenes.
Ophey studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. His early work was influenced by Impressionism, but he later became associated with the Expressionist movement.
In 1909 Ophey, together with some other Düsseldorf artists, formed the artistic group the Special Union (Sonderbund). The first chairman of the Special Union was the well-known German philanthropist and collector Carl Ernst Osthaus. In the following years this group became one of the most powerful avant-garde art movements in Germany.
Ophey's paintings are characterized by their bright colors and bold, simplified forms. He often depicted rural landscapes and still-life scenes, infusing them with a sense of emotional intensity. He was also known for his use of color, which he used to convey mood and atmosphere.
Ophey's work was exhibited extensively during his lifetime, including at the Berlin Secession and the Salon d'Automne in Paris. Despite his relatively short career, he was recognized as an important figure in the development of modernist painting in Germany.
Walter Ophey was a German artist. He was known for his modernist paintings, which often depicted landscapes and still-life scenes.
Ophey studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. His early work was influenced by Impressionism, but he later became associated with the Expressionist movement.
In 1909 Ophey, together with some other Düsseldorf artists, formed the artistic group the Special Union (Sonderbund). The first chairman of the Special Union was the well-known German philanthropist and collector Carl Ernst Osthaus. In the following years this group became one of the most powerful avant-garde art movements in Germany.
Ophey's paintings are characterized by their bright colors and bold, simplified forms. He often depicted rural landscapes and still-life scenes, infusing them with a sense of emotional intensity. He was also known for his use of color, which he used to convey mood and atmosphere.
Ophey's work was exhibited extensively during his lifetime, including at the Berlin Secession and the Salon d'Automne in Paris. Despite his relatively short career, he was recognized as an important figure in the development of modernist painting in Germany.
Walter Ophey was a German artist. He was known for his modernist paintings, which often depicted landscapes and still-life scenes.
Ophey studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. His early work was influenced by Impressionism, but he later became associated with the Expressionist movement.
In 1909 Ophey, together with some other Düsseldorf artists, formed the artistic group the Special Union (Sonderbund). The first chairman of the Special Union was the well-known German philanthropist and collector Carl Ernst Osthaus. In the following years this group became one of the most powerful avant-garde art movements in Germany.
Ophey's paintings are characterized by their bright colors and bold, simplified forms. He often depicted rural landscapes and still-life scenes, infusing them with a sense of emotional intensity. He was also known for his use of color, which he used to convey mood and atmosphere.
Ophey's work was exhibited extensively during his lifetime, including at the Berlin Secession and the Salon d'Automne in Paris. Despite his relatively short career, he was recognized as an important figure in the development of modernist painting in Germany.
Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) was a German artist renowned for his multifaceted contributions to modern art, encompassing painting, poetry, graphic design, and installation art. Born in Hanover, Germany, Schwitters developed a unique artistic vision that led to the creation of "Merz," a term he coined to describe his one-of-a-kind approach to art.
The concept of Merz originated from a fragment of the word "Kommerz" (commerce), which Schwitters incorporated into his early collages. This term came to represent his artistic philosophy, characterized by the assemblage of found objects and everyday materials into cohesive compositions. Through Merz, Schwitters sought to blur the boundaries between traditional art forms, integrating elements of Dadaism, Constructivism, and Surrealism.
One of Schwitters' most significant projects was the "Merzbau," an ambitious, evolving installation within his Hanover home. This project began around 1923 and transformed his living space into a labyrinthine structure filled with collages, sculptures, and found objects. The Merzbau was a physical manifestation of his Merz philosophy, embodying the synthesis of art and life. Unfortunately, the original Merzbau was destroyed during a British air raid in 1943.
In addition to his visual art, Schwitters made notable contributions to literature and sound art. His poem "An Anna Blume," published in 1919, is a seminal work that exemplifies his playful use of language and nonsensical style, aligning with the Dada movement's principles. Moreover, his "Ursonate," a sound poem composed between 1922 and 1932, showcases his innovative exploration of phonetic expression and rhythm, pushing the boundaries of traditional poetry.
The rise of the Nazi regime in Germany had a profound impact on Schwitters' life and work. Classified as a "degenerate" artist by the Nazis, he fled to Norway in 1937 to escape persecution. Following the German invasion of Norway in 1940, he sought refuge in the United Kingdom. During his internment at the Hutchinson Internment Camp on the Isle of Man, Schwitters continued to create art, producing over 200 works during his 16 months of confinement.
After his release, Schwitters settled in the Lake District of England, where he embarked on a new Merz construction known as the "Merzbarn." Although he was unable to complete this project due to his death in 1948, the Merzbarn stands as a testament to his unwavering commitment to his artistic vision. Today, Kurt Schwitters is celebrated as a pioneer of modern art, whose innovative techniques and ideas have left an indelible mark on the art world.
Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Modersohn was a German painter of the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. He is known as a landscape painter, a representative of the Barbizon School.
Otto Modersohn produced Barbizonian-style landscapes early in his career, but from about 1890 his style became more expressionist, with an emphasis on his choice of colors. The death of his second wife influenced his style: the colors became darker and the images more stark. Modersohn was one of the founders of the Worpswede artists' colony. A large collection of his works is kept in the Modersohn Museum in Fischerhude, and a street in Berlin is also named after him.
Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Modersohn was a German painter of the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. He is known as a landscape painter, a representative of the Barbizon School.
Otto Modersohn produced Barbizonian-style landscapes early in his career, but from about 1890 his style became more expressionist, with an emphasis on his choice of colors. The death of his second wife influenced his style: the colors became darker and the images more stark. Modersohn was one of the founders of the Worpswede artists' colony. A large collection of his works is kept in the Modersohn Museum in Fischerhude, and a street in Berlin is also named after him.
Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Modersohn was a German painter of the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. He is known as a landscape painter, a representative of the Barbizon School.
Otto Modersohn produced Barbizonian-style landscapes early in his career, but from about 1890 his style became more expressionist, with an emphasis on his choice of colors. The death of his second wife influenced his style: the colors became darker and the images more stark. Modersohn was one of the founders of the Worpswede artists' colony. A large collection of his works is kept in the Modersohn Museum in Fischerhude, and a street in Berlin is also named after him.
Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Modersohn was a German painter of the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. He is known as a landscape painter, a representative of the Barbizon School.
Otto Modersohn produced Barbizonian-style landscapes early in his career, but from about 1890 his style became more expressionist, with an emphasis on his choice of colors. The death of his second wife influenced his style: the colors became darker and the images more stark. Modersohn was one of the founders of the Worpswede artists' colony. A large collection of his works is kept in the Modersohn Museum in Fischerhude, and a street in Berlin is also named after him.
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Hannah Höch was a German Dada artist. She is best known for her work of the Weimar period, when she was one of the originators of photomontage. Photomontage, or fotomontage, is a type of collage in which the pasted items are actual photographs, or photographic reproductions pulled from the press and other widely produced media.
Höch's work was intended to dismantle the fable and dichotomy that existed in the concept of the "New Woman": an energetic, professional, and androgynous woman, who is ready to take her place as man's equal. Her interest in the topic was in how the dichotomy was structured, as well as in who structures social roles.
Other key themes in Höch's works were androgyny, political discourse, and shifting gender roles. These themes all interacted to create a feminist discourse surrounding Höch's works, which encouraged the liberation and agency of women during the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) and continuing through to today.
Max Liebermann was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important collection of French Impressionist works.
Max Slefogt was a German Impressionist painter and illustrator, best known for his landscapes. He was, together with Lovis Corinth and Max Liebermann, one of the foremost representatives in Germany of the plein air style.
Hans Marsilius Purrmann was a German artist.
He completed an apprenticeship as a scene painter and interior decorator, and subsequently studied in Karlsruhe and Munich before going to Paris in 1906. It was here he became a student and later a friend of Henri Matisse whom he set up a painting school with.
Jean Dufy was a French painter of the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. He is known as a painter and designer who worked in various styles, including Cubism and Fauvism. Contemporaries appreciated Dufy's talent as a colorist who constantly experimented with colors, finding inspiration, in particular, in jazz music.
Jean Dufy preferred to depict life in Paris in his oil and watercolor paintings. One of his favorite subjects was the spectacle, especially the circus. Dufy was also in demand as a designer. For 30 years he designed porcelain and in 1925 at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, Dufy was awarded the gold medal for his design of the porcelain service Chateaux of France. Jean Dufy also helped his brother Raoul Dufy create a 600 square meter fresco for the Electricity Pavilion at the 1937 World Fair in Paris.
Jean Dufy's work was exhibited in prestigious museums and galleries throughout his career. Today his paintings are in the public collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Albertina Gallery in Vienna and other world art centers.
Lucien Adrion was a French post-impressionist painter, draughtsman and printmaker. He is known for his depictions of the French countryside and beaches, as well as of Parisian life, including landscapes, still lifes, figures and landmarks.
Throughout his career, Adrion exhibited his work at the Salons in Paris, where he was praised for his ability to capture the movement and transience of city life.
Karl Hofer was a German expressionist painter. He was director of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts.
One of the most prominent painters of expressionism, he never was a member of one of the expressionist painting groups, like "Die Brücke", but was influenced by their painters. His work was among those considered degenerate art by the Nazis, but after World War II he regained recognition as one of the leading German painters.
Alexander Kanoldt was a German painter of the first half of the twentieth century. He is known as a painter, landscape and portrait painter, a representative of the New Materiality movement.
Alexander Kanoldt was one of the founders of the New Munich Art Association and the Blue Rider group. His style evolved from Neo-Impressionism to magic realism, to depicting plants, objects, landscapes and people in angular forms. During the Nazi regime, he tried to adapt to the styles in demand, but many of his works were confiscated as belonging to "degenerate art."
Kanoldt was a professor at the Berlin Academy of Art and director of the State School of Art in Berlin until his retirement in 1936.
Friedrich Karl Gotsch, actually Friedrich Karl Müller, was a German painter and graphic artist.
After a phase of intense research into Picasso's cubism and experimentation with abstract techniques, the artist developed "late expressionism", which was typical of his work. Even during his lifetime, Gotsch was highly respected as one of the few painters of his generation who painted representational pictures. He also participated in numerous exhibitions and received renowned awards.
Friedrich Karl Gotsch, actually Friedrich Karl Müller, was a German painter and graphic artist.
After a phase of intense research into Picasso's cubism and experimentation with abstract techniques, the artist developed "late expressionism", which was typical of his work. Even during his lifetime, Gotsch was highly respected as one of the few painters of his generation who painted representational pictures. He also participated in numerous exhibitions and received renowned awards.
Anton Räderscheidt was a German painter who was a leading figure of the New Objectivity. Räderscheidt was born in Cologne. His father was a schoolmaster who also wrote poetry. From 1910 to 1914, Räderscheidt studied at the Academy of Düsseldorf. He was severely wounded in the First World War, during which he fought at Verdun. After the war he returned to Cologne, where in 1919 he cofounded the artists' group Stupid with other members of the local constructivist and Dada scene. The group was short-lived, as Räderscheidt was by 1920 abandoning constructivism for a magic realist style. In 1925 he participated in the Neue Sachlichkeit ("New Objectivity") exhibition at the Mannheim Kunsthalle.
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix was a German artist whose work stands as a stark, unyielding reflection of the societal tumult and trauma of the early 20th century. Born in 1891 in Untermhaus, Germany, Dix's early life was steeped in the arts, his ambition to become an artist nurtured by both familial influence and formal education in Dresden. His experiences as a soldier in World War I deeply influenced his artistic direction, leading him to vividly depict the horrors of war and the decay of the Weimar Republic with a brutal realism that became his signature style.
Dix's association with the Dada movement and the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) further honed his critical, often cynical portrayal of post-war society. His works, such as "The Trench" and "War Cripples," expose the visceral aftermath of conflict, while his engagement with the Dadaists imbued his art with a disruptive, confrontational energy against societal norms and the art establishment.
Perhaps most notable is Dix's ability to capture the psychological depth and societal critiques through his portraits and landscapes, which ranged from the grotesque to the surreal. Paintings like "Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden" and the triptychs "Metropolis" and "War" are emblematic of his keen observation and stark depiction of the era's social and political unrest.
Despite facing significant adversity, including being labeled a degenerate artist by the Nazi regime and facing professional and personal setbacks, Dix's legacy as a painter and printmaker endures. His works are not only historical documents but also profound reflections on humanity, war, and society, resonating with collectors and art experts alike.
For enthusiasts of culture, art, and history, Dix's oeuvre offers an unflinching look into the human condition under the strain of societal and political upheaval. His contributions to painting and printmaking continue to be celebrated in museums and galleries worldwide, underscoring the enduring relevance of his work.
For those interested in exploring the profound depth and historical significance of Otto Dix's work, signing up for updates on new product sales and auction events related to his art can provide invaluable insights. This subscription is a gateway to staying informed about opportunities to engage with the tangible pieces of Dix's enduring legacy.
