Taunus Firs
Medium
lithograph on wove yellow paper
Dimensions
sheet: 67 × 53.5 cm (26 3/8 × 21 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
Accession Number
2012.92.739
Art Historical Context
**Taunus Firs (1916) is a striking lithograph by Ernst Ludwig, a leading figure in German Expressionism and co-founder of the revolutionary Die Brücke group. during the height of World War I—a period of personal turmoil for Kirchner, who struggled with mental health and military service—this print captures the rugged fir trees of the Ta Mountains near Frankfurt. The bold, jagged lines and dynamic composition reflect Expressionism's emphasis on emotional intensity over realistic depiction, evoking the raw power of nature amid human fragility. Printed on warm yellow wove paper (67 × 53.5 cm), t...
About the Artist
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1880–1938
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born on May 6, 1880, in Aschaffenburg, Germany, to parents Ernst and Maria Kirchner, part of a family of Prussian descent that frequently relocated due to his father's career as a chemical technician. After early schooling in various towns, he studied architecture at the Königliche Technische Hochschule (Technical University) in Dresden from 1901 to 1905, taking courses i...