“This actually reminds me a lot of German Expressionism!” A sentiment I shared with the girl working after learning the print I was purchasing was something she created soon became something of a joke between my friend Claire and I.
I was first introduced to German Expressionism in high school. During a Pre-College program at Pratt Institute everyone was required to take a foundational art class. The professor, whose name I do not remember, made a comment on how I was heavy handed with charcoal and how it felt reminiscent of German Expressionism. I doubt I even googled what it was after, but I remembered him saying how darker shades and heavy handed drawings defined this early twentieth century art movement.
A quick google search made the definition of this art form hard to define, but with a few clicks through some articles, they’ve given me this definition: German expressionism is an art form that came on the scene in the early 20th century and focused on how emotions inspired and could pull focus into a piece. As a result these pieces were characterized by their “bright and vivid colors, sweeping brush strokes, bold markings and basic forms came together to create compositions that reflected emotion and expression.” 1
A month ago or so I was in a print shop in Brevard with Claire, looking for a gift for Grace’s birthday. The print I decided upon was a pressed flower print, pictured below.
As I went to pay for it, the woman behind the checkout counter informed me that she was the artist who created the print I was buying. In comes the story from the beginning of this post where I used a buzzword to sound like I knew more about the art than I really did. The really cool thing though, was her response, “That is actually where I get a lot of my inspiration!” So now, not only have I implied that I am an art expert, I have made this artist's day by inferring, hopefully, what she was trying to communicate. We shared a laugh as we left the store and Claire noted how she would never forget hearing me throw that word out willy nilly. Fake it ‘til you make it???
Fast forward a few weeks later. Claire and I are sitting in Farewell planning our upcoming trip to D.C. As we were leafing through museums and their current exhibits, I stopped and let out a chuckle. One of the current exhibits at the National Gallery of Art was, you guessed it, The Anxious Eye: German Expressionism & It’s Legacy. “It’s a sign!!!” I exclaimed, now feeling like the resident expert on this topic.
While in D.C., obviously, we strolled through the exhibit and, more than just laughing at the coincidence of this coming up twice in a month, I left the museum thinking it maybe meant something more. Not in a way that was earth-shattering or life altering, but like it was an invitation from the Lord, that He was maybe trying to get my attention. It is in these simple moments of invitation that I feel most cared for. Our God is one of details and minutiae. He doesn’t forget the small moments of my life I do not pay attention to. It is a long-term and slow burning kind of love to be able to recall something of old and mold it into an ironic reminder that I am not in control of any aspect of my life. What freedom.
I am glad I snapped a photo of the above quote by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner for a few reasons. One being, and I learned this after we got home from our trip, that he was a prominent artist as this movement was coming around, and another being that I have felt the words sticking with me long after we got home.
There is a situational irony in the fact that I had been told my work was representative of an art movement whose foundation was on emphasizing an emotional connection to art, when at the time of my own work I was largely in denial over my own emotions. Looking back now I can see what that professor meant in terms of my own heavy handedness with a stick of charcoal, or some contrasting colors within a painting. I don’t think I can say much more about why I worked the way I did anymore than because it just felt right.
I would like to think that it was a subconscious connection to my emotions and maybe helping me through the grief process I was in the midst of (mentioned in a previous post, A Public Apology By Way of a 2000's Rom-Com). Maybe the grief was bringing something out of my creativity that I wouldn’t be able to tap into in the same way now? All speculation of course as I am now almost a decade removed from that season of life.
Now, in a slightly more emotionally literate frame of mind, I appreciate the meaning behind German Expressionism and the way I feel drawn to pieces from this movement. In the same vein, I appreciate Kirchner’s quote about turning our suffering into creativity. It is not lost on me that most of my late adolescence and early adulthood has been marked by a refusal to process suffering in my own life. It is comforting to know that this has been near to me all of these years. It is a kindness to know that it has been waiting for me. It is also a gift from God to know that He’s seen the irony all of these years, but has waited until just the right time2 for me to awaken to its meaning.
It is so subtle, too! There is nothing big about any of these realizations and that is precisely what makes me want to celebrate them all the more. My life would not feel wholly different if I never connected these dots, but God wants me to see him in the small as a reminder to keep listening to His still small voice. It’s the wildest, coolest, most unexplainable and nonsensical thing about Him and I just cannot get over how awesome it is!
This piece was my favorite of what we saw at the National Gallery of Art. The bright yellows and reds contrasted with the blacks really caught my eye, and the sheer size of these paintings were mystifying. There is nothing more “artful” I have to say about this piece, I just really liked looking at it.
Invaluable, In Good Taste, German Expressionism: A Break from Tradition, https://www.invaluable.com/blog/german-expressionism/
Shout out to Bret Allen, IYKYK
Claire with the feature