Ernst Kirchner – Artistin Marcella (1910)

A bold eye, a troubled spirit, and the colors that shaped modern German art.

Ernst Kirchner was a founding member of the expressionist group Die Brücke, and one of the most striking voices in early 20th-century German art.

His dynamic brushwork, bold colors, and emotionally charged figures captured the anxieties of modern life and the inner tension of an artist living through cultural and political upheaval.

This article explores one of Ernst Kirchner key works that left a lasting mark on modern expressionism.

Ernst Kirchner

Ernst Kirchner (1880-1938) was one of the founders of the group of Expressionist artists Die Brücke (Bridge) together with Erich Heckel, Otto Müller, Max Pechstein e Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.

Ernst Kirchner Self-Portrait as an Invalid, 1918

The expressionism

Expressionism refers to a set of artistic tendencies that took on different names and that lasted until after World War II.

However, the ‘first’ Expressionism dates from about 1905 to 1914.

Expressionism was divided into two groups:

• Die Brücke (The Bridge), born in Dresden and with an estimated period of activity between 1905 and 1913.
• Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), based in Munich and whose production developed approximately between 1910 and 1914.

The Bridge was a movement in which the personage emphasized in relation to the scene.

The thematic  is centered around the social life (mainly incident in the bourgeois life).

A street in Berlin, Ernst Kirchner 1913-1914

We can find portraits and self portraits.

The intention of the artists of Die Brucke was to reveal the inner truth: to completely strip the human soul, even if it were shocking, uncomfortable or an affront.

Ernst Kirchner artwork – Artistin Marcella, 1910

Artistin – Marcella. This Ernst  Kirchner artwork was made in 1910 and is currently in the Brücke Museum, Berlin (Germany).

Composition

Ernst Kirchner uses a series of spontaneous, quick brushstrokes. He outlines the main shapes, making them stand out from the background (and marking the foreground and background more clearly).

The composition centres on the figure of Marcella, reclining on a sofa of indeterminate shape.

The artist has chosen to use a perspective from a high side angle, which creates a sense of strangeness for the viewer.

The brushstrokes are expressive, intuitive and impasto, clearly marking the shapes, albeit in a linear and somewhat simplistic manner, without seeking particular detail.

The colours are intense and contrasting, with various shades of green dominating. The accentuated yellowish-green and black lines of the figure’s dress and her red slippers stand out, as does the white cat in the foreground, which is not very detailed.

About the content…

This painting is believed to have been done at an inn in Moritzburg in 1910 and presented in 1914 to the artist’s friend and patron, Botho Graef of Iena.

Marcella and Fränzi were two teenage sisters whom Heckel met in 1910.

They claimed to be the daughters of an artist’s widow who lived in Ernst Kirchner  ‘s neighbourhood and were quickly integrated into the Die Brücke group, living with the artists in the studio and serving as models for many paintings. This portrait of Marcella became one of the most iconic of the sisters and one ofErnst Kirchner ‘s most captivating paintings.

Relation composition / artist’s intention

Marcella is depicted in a very casual position, reclining on the sofa, one foot on the sofa and her head resting on her right arm. The girl’s position suggests intimacy and introversion, which are perhaps further emphasised by the presence of the cat, looking peaceful, comfortably curled up beside her. A certain bohemian feel is also suggested by the presence of bottles, positioned in apparent disorder in the background.

The ensemble follows an ascending diagonal from the lower left corner to the upper right. The rhythm of the composition is essentially marked by soft fields of colour, predominantly green, surrounded by marked contours.

The viewpoint from which Ernst Kirchner created the ensemble was not accidental. The painter sought an unusual perspective that transports the viewer to a position above the model (positioned almost obliquely), in order to simulate proximity, but at the same time give an impression of distance.

In other words, on the one hand, the viewer has the feeling of being positioned next to Marcella, very close to the girl, perhaps even sitting next to her on the sofa. At the same time, however, and perhaps because of her meditative and closed position, Marcella distances herself from the viewer, leaving an impression of voyeurism. This possibly suggests a reflection on human relationships and the true nature of intimacy at a time when everything seems so frivolous.

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