German Expressionism

About the Book

German Expressionism, one of the most significant movements of early European modernism, was an enormously powerful element in Germany's cultural life from the end of the Wilhelmine Empire to the Third Reich. While the movement embraced such diverse artists as E. L. Kirchner, Wassily Kandinsky, Käthe Kollwitz, and George Grosz, all the participants shared an almost messianic belief in the power of art to change society. Rose-Carol Washton Long has drawn together over eighty documents crucial to the understanding of German Expressionism, many of them translated for the first time into English.

About the Author

Rose-Carol Washton Long is Professor of Art History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Among her books is Kandinsky: The Development of an Abstract Style.

Reviews

"An indispensable anthology that immediately renders its predecessors obsolete. With its gathering of public and private documents, it carries us through the rise and fall of one of the great upheavals of modern art."—Robert Rosenblum, New York University

"These essays, including many previously unavailable in English, are rich with startling new insights into the German Expressionist psyche. Elucidating the artists' view of government, the role of women in modern society, and their own ambivalence about the effectiveness of abstract art, this anthology is essential reading for all scholars and students of twentieth-century art."—Joan Marter, author of Alexander Calder

Illustrations
Photo Credits
Acknowledgments
Introduction

PART ONE: Early Manifestations

I First Identifiers
Introduction
1. Carl Vinnen, "Quonsque Tandem," from A Protest of German Artists, 1911
2. Wilhelm Worringer, "The Historical Development ofModern Art,
" The Struggle for Art: The Answer to the "Protest of German Artists," 1911
3. Paul Ferdinand Schmidt, "The Expressionists," Der Sturm, 1912
4. Richart Reiche, "Foreword," International Exhibition of the Sonderbund,
Cologne, 1912
5. Max Deri, "Cubists and Expressionism," Pan, 1912

II The Briicke
Introduction
6. E.L. Kirchner: program of the artist group, Briicke, 1906; "Chronicle of
the Briicke," 1913; letter to Erich Heckel and Max Pechstein, March 31, 1910;
letters to Gustav Schiefler, June 27, 1911 and March 16, 1913
7. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, postcard to Cuno Amiet, January 8, 1909, and letter to
Gustav Schiefler, ca. 1913
8. Erich Heckel letters to Franz Marc, Spring 1912 to Winter 1912/13
9. Max Pechstein (transcribed by W. Heymann), "What Is Picasso Up To?", Pan, 1912

III Neue Kiinstler Vereinigung Miinchen and the Blaue Reiter
Introduction
10. Wassily Kandinsky, "Foreword," Neue Kiinstler Vereinigung exhibition catalogue,
1909-10, and untitled essay, The Struggle for Art: The Answer to the "Protest of
German Artists", 1911
11. Kubin-Kandinsky letters, May 5, 1910, and August 13, 1911
12. Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, preface (not printed), ca. October 1911,
for the Blaue Reiter almanac; and Franz Marc, subscription prospectus, January 1912,
for the Blaue Reiter almanac
13. Franz Marc letter to Reinhard Piper, April 20, 1910, and to Wassily Kandinsky,
October 5, 1912
14. Paul Klee, "Exhibition of the Modern League in the Zurich Kunsthaus," Die Alpen, 1912

IV Der Sturm
Introduction
15. Herwarth Walden, "Introduction," First German Autumn Salon, 1913, and letter from
August Macke, April 21, 1913
16. Adolf Behne, "German Expressionists, Lecture for the Opening of the New Sturm
Exhibition," Der Sturm, 1914
17. [Rudolf Bliimner], from Der Sturm: An Introduction, 1917

Notes Part One

PART TWO: The Expansion of Expressionism

I German Criticism through World War I
Introduction 77
18. Ludwig Rubiner, "Painters Build Barricades," Die Aktion, 1914
19. Paul Fechter, from Der Expressionismus, 1914
20. Theodor Daubler, "Expressionism," Der neue Standpunkt, 1916
21. Hermann Bahr, from Expressionismus, 1916
22. G. F. Hartlaub, "Art and the New Gnosis," Das Kunstblatt, 1917

II Painting
Introduction
23. Essays by Franz Marc and Max Beckmann in Pan, 1912
24. Ludwig Meidner, "An Introduction to Painting the Metropolis," Kunst und
Kiinstler, 1914
25. Johannes Molzahn, "The Manifesto of Absolute Expressionism," Der Sturm, 1919

III Sculpture by Stephanie Barron
Introduction
26. Ernst Barlach, excerpts from letters and diary, 1911-15
27. Carl Einstein, from Negerplastik, 1915
28. [Rudolf Bliimner], "Expressionist Sculpture," 1917, and Oswald Herzog,
"Abstract Expressionism," Der Sturm, 1919
29. L. de Marsalle [E. L. Kirchner], "On the Sculpture of E.L. Kirchner,"
Der Cicerone, 1925

IV Expressionist Architecture by Rosemarie Haag Bletter
Introduction
30. Bruno Taut, "A Necessity," Der Sturm, 1914
31. Paul Scheerbart, from Glass Architecture, 1914
32. Bruno Taut, from Alpine Architecture, 1919
33. Erich Mendelsohn, letter to Luise Mendelsohn, August 26, 1917,
and extract from Arbeitsrat lecture, "The Problem of a New Architecture," 1919
34. From the Glass Chain letters: Bruno Taut, November 24, 1919; Paul Goesch,
May 1920; Wenzil Hablik, July 22, 1920

V Printmaking by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction
35. Gustav Hartlaub, from The New German Print, 1920
36. L. de Marsalle [E. L. Kirchner], "On Kirchner's Prints," Genius, 1921
37. Paul Westheim, "Kokoschka's Prints," Das graphische Jahrbuch, 1919
38. Rosa Schapire, "Schmidt-Rottluff's Religious Woodcuts,"Die Rote Erde, 1919
39. Paul F. Schmidt, "Max Beckmann's Hell," Der Cicerone, 1920

Notes Part Two

PART THREE: War, Revolution, and Expressionism

The War Experience by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction
40. Franz Marc, letters from the front, 1914-15
41. Kathe Kollwitz, letter and diary entries, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1922
42. Conrad Felixmiiller, "Military Hospital Orderly Felixmiiller," Menschen, 1918
43. Ludwig Meidner, "Hymn of Brotherly Love," from September-Cry, 1920

II Critics, Artists and the Revolution by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction
44. Ludwig Meidner, "To All Artists, Musicians, Poets," Das Kunstblatt, 1919
45. Herbert Kuhn, "Expressionism and Socialism," Neue Blatter fUr Kunst und
Dichtung, 1919
46. Kurt Eisner, "The Socialist Nation and the Artist," An aile
Kiinstler!, 1919
47. Georg Tappert, letter to Franz Pfemfert, November 23, 1918
48. Editorial, Menschen, 1919
49. Kathe Kollwitz, diary entries, 1918, 1919, 1920
50. Hans Friedeberger, "The Artists' Posters of the Revolutionary Days," Das Plakat, 1919

III Arbeitsrat fur Kunst
Introduction
51. [Bruno Taut], Arbeitsrat fiir Kunst program, 1918 and Bruno Taut, from An
Architecture Program, 1919
52. Walter Gropius, "Architecture in a Free Republic," 1919; letters, to Dr. Walter
Rathenau, February 23, 1919, to Ludwig Meidner, February 26, 1919; speech to the
membership meeting of the Arbeitsrat, March 22, 1919
53. Adolf Behne: "Unknown Architects," Sozialistische Monatshefte, 1919;
"General Announcement" from the flyer for the periodical Bauen, 1919
54. Questions from YES! Voices of the Arbeitsrat fUr Kunst, and excerpts from the
responses of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Georg Tappert, 1919

IV Novembergruppe by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction
55. Draft of the manifesto of the Novembergruppe, 1918; circular letter,
1918; guidelines, 1919
56. Max Pechstein, "What We Want," An aile Kiinstler!, 1919
57. Peter Leu, Guide to the Novembergruppe Art Exhibition, 1920
58. "Open Letter to the Novembergruppe," 1920-21

V Dresden Secession Gruppe 1919 by Peter Chametzky
Introduction
59. "Regulations," Dresden Secession, 1919 and statement of purpose, 1919
60. Hugo Zehder, "The Journal 1919 Neue Bliitter fiir Kunst und Dichtung," and
[Hugo Zehder?] and D. P. Shterenberg, "A Call from Russian Artists," 1919
61. Walter Rheiner, statement of purpose for the journal Menschen, 1918, and
'The New World," Sezession Gruppe 1919
62. Conrad Felixmiiller, "To Art," Die Schone Raritiit, 1918
63. Otto Dix, letter to Kurt Gunther, ca. 1919
64. Will Grohmann, "Prints of 'Gruppe 1919' Dresden," Menschen, 1919

Notes Part Three

PART FOUR: Reactions to Expressionism

I The Weimar Bauhaus
Introduction
65. Walter Gropius, Bauhaus Program, 1919; speech to Bauhaus students, July 1919;
[Anonymous], Bauhaus fund solicitation pamphlet, 1921
66. [Anonymous], "The State Bauhaus in Weimar," supplement to the Thiiringer
Tageszeitung, 1920
67. Johannes Itten, "Analyses of Old Masters," Utopia: Documents of Reality, 1921
68. Oskar Schlemmer, letter to Otto Meyer, December 7, 1921; manifesto in the
publicity pamphlet for the first Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar, 1923

II Dada
Introduction
69. Hugo Ball, "Kandinsky," lecture, April 7, 1917
70. Richard Huelsenbeck, "Dada Manifesto" [1918], Dada Almanach, 1920
71. Raoul Hausmann, "The German PHILISTINE is Annoyed," Der Dada, December 1919
72. Wieland Herzfelde, "Introduction," First International Dada Fair, 1920
73. George Grosz, "My New Pictures," Das Kunstblatt, 1921
74. Kurt Schwitters, "Merz-Painting," Der Zweemann, 1919

III The Critics and the "Demise" of Expressionism
Introduction
75. Wilhelm Hausenstein, "Art of this Moment," Der neue Merkur, 1919
76. Wilhelm Worringer, from Current Questions on Art, 1921
77. Iwan Goll, "Expressionism Is Dying," Zenit, 1921
78. G. F. Hartlaub, preface to catalogue of Neue Sachlichkeit exhibition,
Mannheim, 1925
79. Franz Roh, from Post-Expressionism, Magic Realism: Problems of Recent
European Painting, 1925

IV Expressionism and the Third Reich by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction
80. Kii.the Kollwitz, excerpts from diaries and letters, 1933
81. Paul Schultze-Naumburg, from Art and Race, 1928
82. A. Rosenberg, "Revolution in the Visual Arts," Volkische Beobachter, 1933
83. Robert Scholz, from Vital Questions about the Visual Arts, 1937
84. Emil Nolde, letter to the president of the Prussian Academy of Arts, 1937
85. Fritz Kaiser, Guide to the Degenerate Art Exhibition, 1937

V The Left and the Debate over Expressionism in the Thirties
Introduction
86. Georg Lukacs, "Expressionism: Its Significance and Decline,"
Internationale Literatur, 1934
87. Klaus Mann, "Gottfried Benn: History of an Aberration," Das Wort, 1937
88. Herwarth Walden, "Vulgar Expressionism," Das Wort, 1938
89. Ernst Bloch, "Discussing Expressionism," Das Wort, 1938

Notes Part Four

Index