Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Arguably the greatest of the German Expressionists, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's numerous paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings are loved for their bold colours and dynamics. An admirer of Albrecht Durer's woodcuts, Kirchner sought to revitalize the technique for his generation, using a pictorial vocabulary that inspired other Expressionists. This volume presents one of Kirchner's most important woodcuts series, based on the legend of Faust. Carved during a stay in a sanatorium near Frankfurt, these woodcuts reflect Kirchner's own tortuous emotions as he tells the story of a man who sells his shadow to the devil. This gorgeous edition features several foldout pages that allow readers to compare and contrast each full-page segment. This book also explores Kirchner's innovative printmaking technique, which involved sawed up plates stained in monotype style. Essays by Kirchner scholars discuss the series' vital contribution to the artist's oeuvre, while exploring his extraordinary use of colour, line, and shape to tell a story that is at once universal and highly personal. Exhibition: Brucke Museum, Berlin, 1st August to 16th November 2014.