Bismarckfeier (Celebration for Bismarck)
1915
Medium
hand-colored transfer lithograph on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 42 x 33.4 cm (16 9/16 x 13 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ruth and Joseph Bromberg in honor of Andrew Robison
Accession Number
1994.89.1
Art Historical Context
**Bismarckfeier (ation for Bismarck)**, created by Lovis Corinth in1915, captures a moment of fervent German nationalism amid World War I. Otto von Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor who unified Germany in 1871, remained a potent symbol of strength and pride. This print likely commemorates a public celebration honoring his legacy, reflecting the era's patriotic fervor as Germany rallied during the early, optimistic phase of the conflict. Corinth, a leading German Expressionist, infused his works with emotional intensity and bold forms, transitioning from Impressionism to a more dramatic, psychologi...
About the Artist
Lovis Corinth · 1858–1925
Lovis Corinth, born Franz Heinrich Louis on July 21, 1858, in Tapiau, East Prussia (now Gvardeysk, Russia), to a tanner father, displayed prodigious drawing talent from childhood. He began formal training at the Königsberg Academy in 1876, then moved to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 1880 to 1884, studying under Ludwig von Löfftz and briefly Franz von Defregger, where he absorbed a Realis...