F15 Cain - GERMAN 232 - Visions of Modernity in German Lit Around 1900

Expressionism

The turn of the twentieth century was an exciting time marked by the discovery of new, previously unsuspected worlds below the surface of everyday perception. Germany, Austria and Switzerland were at the forefront of literary, scientific and artistic innovation at that time. In psychology, Sigmund Freud’s work found explanations hidden in the depths of the unconscious. In the sciences, Röntgen’s 1895 discovery of the X-ray and Rutherford’s 1911 splitting of the atom revealed previously invisible physical realities. In politics, Marx and Engels proposed that labor and capital were the forces determining social change and the progress of history. This time of great optimism and scientific advance also witnessed the outbreak of the First World War, a violent and technological war that questioned the optimism about the continuing progress of humankind. Artists and writers responded to these new ideas in highly imaginative ways. Expressionist artists such as Franz Marc and Wasilly Kandinsky of the “Blaue Reiter” group believed their art revealed a “spiritual” dimension that could balance a society dominated by rationalism. Writers such Kafka, Brecht, Schnitzler and Kästner took their readers into these new worlds in their prose and poetry. In this course we will explore notions of hidden worlds revealed and how they were reflected in art, literature, film and political and scientific texts. We will read and analyze a variety of materials, including short stories, poems, plays and a graphic novel adaptation of the children’s story Emil und die Detektive. We will continue to improve our German proficiency including all the fundamental skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar. Special features of the class include a trip to the UMMA, guest lectures and creative writing. Taught in German.

Max Beckmann
Self-Portrait
woodcut on paper
9 x 6 1/8 in. (22.8 x 15.4 cm);18 3/16 x 22 1/8 in. (46.04 x 56.04 cm);19 7/16 x 13 7/8 in. (49.3 x 35.2 cm)
Museum Purchase
Käthe Kollwitz
Mary and Elizabeth
woodcut on Japan paper
15 5/8 x 17 13/16 in. (39.69 x 45.24 cm);22 1/8 x 28 1/8 in. (56.2 x 71.44 cm);13 3/4 x 14 9/16 in. (34.92 x 36.99 cm)
Museum Purchase made possible by the Friends of the Museum of Art
This woodcut print of an abstracted landscape is done in green, red, yellow, blue, and black. An architectural form appears on the left and an archer on horseback appears in the lower right corner.  
Wassily Kandinsky
The Archer
woodblock on paper
6 1/2 in x 6 in (16.5 cm x 15.2 cm);12 3/16 in x 9 1/2 in (30.9 cm x 24.1 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 5/16 in (49 cm x 36.3 cm)
Museum purchase
Within a black background a white oval shape sits at center; within the oval are a series of abstracted forms and lines in primary colors all characteristic of Kandinsky's style.
Wassily Kandinsky
Small Worlds III
lithograph on paper
14 in x 11 in (35.56 cm x 27.94 cm);10 15/16 in x 9 1/8 in (27.78 cm x 23.2 cm);13 9/16 in x 11 in (34.4 cm x 28 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 3/8 in (49 cm x 36.5 cm)
Museum Purchase
This dynamic print shows a figure on a horse in the center, with another horse to the left and a dog on the right. The rider and the horse are leaning into a turn and the horse's curly tail trails behind. Action lines and swirls radiate out from the figures in the center.
Franz Marc
Reitschule Nach Ridinger
woodblock on paper
10 5/8 in x 11 13/16 in (27 cm x 30 cm);18 1/16 in x 22 1/16 in (45.88 cm x 56 cm)
Museum Purchase
Franz Marc
Tierlegende
woodcut on paper
7 3/4 in x 9 7/16 in (19.68 cm x 23.97 cm);7 3/4 in x 9 7/16 in (19.68 cm x 23.97 cm);19 1/4 in x 14 1/4 in (48.89 cm x 36.2 cm)
Gift of Jean Paul Slusser
Christian Rohlfs
Dancers (Zwei Tänzende)
linoleum cut on paper
11 ⅛ in x 11 4/5 in (28.26 cm x 30 cm);18 ⅛ in x 22 ⅛ in (46.04 cm x 56.2 cm);14 7/16 in x 14 4/5 in (36.67 cm x 37.62 cm)
Museum Purchase
Ludwig Meidner
Bildnis, from the portfolio "Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart"
lithograph on paper
12 ⅝ in x 9 3/16 in (32.07 cm x 23.34 cm);19 ¼ in x 14 ¼ in (48.89 cm x 36.2 cm)
Museum Purchase
George Grosz
The Family
brush and ink on cream-colored paper
23 3/8 in. x 18 1/8 in. ( 59.3 cm x 46 cm )
Museum Purchase
László Moholy-Nagy
Konstruktionen (6)
lithograph on paper
32 1/8 x 26 1/8 in. (81.6 x 66.36 cm);23 3/4 x 17 5/16 in. (60.33 x 43.97 cm)
The Paul Leroy Grigaut Memorial Collection
A spare and restrained abstract composition is built up out of layers of mostly translucent basic geometric forms. The grey tones of the background are created with large rectangle shapes. In the upper part of the piece is a light colored circle, with a brighter circle inside it. Both are crossed by an axis of bright, thin orange lines. On the left, the point of a triangle protrudes from the edge. It is covered by a faint gray trapezoidal shape. Three small black semi-circles are also visible: one along the lines inside the circles; the other two along the trapezoidal shape and just beneath the triangle.
László Moholy-Nagy
Abstrakte Komposition
watercolor, India ink, and collage on wove paper
19 5/16 in x 13 11/16 in (49.05 cm x 34.77 cm);19 5/16 in x 13 11/16 in (49.05 cm x 34.77 cm);28 1/8 in x 22 1/8 in (71.44 cm x 56.2 cm)
Museum Purchase
Gerhard Marcks
Almtanz (Alpine Dance)
woodcut on paper
7 ⅞ in x 9 4/5 in (20 cm x 24.92 cm);14 ¼ in x 19 ¼ in (36.2 cm x 48.89 cm);12 ⅛ in x 16 1/16 in (30.8 cm x 40.8 cm)
Gift of Jean Paul Slusser

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Art movements — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:19 pm)
Europe — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:19 pm)
Expressionism — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:19 pm)
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Modernism — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:19 pm)
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April 4, 2020 2:20 p.m.

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