From September 6 to November 2, 2008 in the Pushkin Museum Pushkin exhibition will be held «German expressionism - the artists of the" bridge "». It will be presented to the painting and graphics of famous expressionists - all 131 products. According to Deputy Director of the Museum Zinaida Bonami, none of the art association was not seen in Russia so fully. All the paintings and graphic works which can be seen in the exhibition belong to the Berlin museum's collection of «bridge».

Panel «bridge» (Die Brücke) was founded in 1905 by four students of Dresden: Fritz Bleyl (Fritz Bleyl), Erich Hekkel (Erich Heckel), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner) and Karl Schmidt-Rottluf ( Karl Schmidt-Rottluff). They wrote a manifesto, which called for young people to unite against the «old» values imposed on them by parents, bourgeois. Young people have settled in the working quarter of Dresden, which are made of creativity and the joys of free love. In his paintings and the artists have refused to emulate the classic designs, and the harsh realism, and then fashion «yugendshtilya». They admired the insane bright colors of his contemporaries - French fovistov, as well as the unrestrained imagination of great German masters of the past such as Albrecht Dürer (Albrecht Dürer), Matthias Grunewald (Matthias Grünewald) and Lucas Cranach the elder, (Lucas Cranach the Elder). Artists «Bridge» frequently traveled «nature», where the landscapes painted, nudity, as well as portraits of each other. In 1906 the group came Emil Nolde (Emil Nolde) and Max Pehshtayn (Max Pechstein), and 1910-m - Otto Mueller (Otto Müller). Artists carefully studied the nature of, and admired the «primitive» art.

Vivid colors and angular forms of paintings of young expressionists cause disaffection among «bourgeois» critics, artists obzyvavshih «Bridge» crazy savage. But some critics saw in the paintings and engravings, Kirchner, Nolde and other special features «German» style and raised them on board as a «true carriers of the German spirit». Around 1900, the concept of art in the «national identity». Famous art historians such as Heinrich Velfflin (Heinrich Wölfflin) and Vorringer Wilhelm (Wilhelm Worringer) attempted to explain the features of the letter of the artists «racial characteristics». According to Vorringera, painting expressionists, as well as German Gothic and even the ornaments of ancient Germanic tribes, expressed «artistic faith» German soul. Their angular, chaotic and organic forms are best expressed turbulent processes in the heart of the Germans.

The rise of nationalism, which is Germany before World War II, played a «benefit» artists of the group «bridge». After the war they became very popular. Painting «Bridge» became «a» decadent Weimar Republic. When we say «Weimar Republic», just imagine «street scenes» Kirchner, with the swell ladies penumbra and faceless men in dark suits. But with the advent of the Nazis «dikarskaya» expressionists paintings received stamp «degenerative art». Someone has tried to protect artists «Bridge», remembering ideas Vorringera of «true German» art, but most of the Nazis rejected their work, calling him «black». Put across the end of Hitler, the Weimar Republic nenavidevshy and modern art.

The destruction of Nazi Modernism in Germany - one of the sad history of art. Many pokalecheno fate was in those terrible years. Hitler's henchman sent to the concentration of many «racially unreliable» artists. They also covered the most advanced educational institutions (in particular, the famous Institute of Bauhaus) and destroyed many works created by the most talented masters of the avant-garde early XX century. Painting Artists «Bridge», as well as such artists as Wassily Kandinsky , Paul Klee (Paul Klee), and many others, received a stamp of Entartete kunst (degenerate art). Do not stand the harassment, the founder of «Bridge» Ernst Ludwig Kirchner committed suicide.

After the war, the well-known modernists, of course, to rehabilitate. Painting of the group «bridge» again became popular, their paintings acquired prominent German politicians, but on the exhibition of these artists came to many art lovers. In 1967 at the initiative of a member of the group of Karl Schmidt-Rottlufa in Berlin has been a museum «bridge». Designer handed it over 70 of his pictures. The museum has become one of the main sights of Berlin.

However, in the postwar years, young German artists, especially in Germany, not too fond of the German expressionists. Then «in Tabor» was abstract. However, in the late 1970's - early 1980's youth, tired of conceptualism and minimalism, returned to figurative art. One of the main «models to be emulated» was elected as German expressionism. By neoekspressionistam transavangardistov include Italian, German «new wild», as well as such artists as Marlene Dumas (Marlene Dumas), Basque, Jean-Michel (Jean-Michel Basquiat), Christopher Lebrun (Christopher Le Brun), and others. The manner of writing of many of these creative works of artists like «Bridge», but this is not the only thing that neoekspressionisty inherited expressionists from the beginning of the century. Pictures and old and new expressionists a «dark» and gloomy. At the beginning of the creative ways the artists «Bridge» fovistami admired, but then stopped - painting representatives fovizma was too «happy». Expressionism - he was everywhere expressionism: its mission - to reveal the dark side of human soul.

On the outlet works of expressionists to the international art market can be found here .

Julia Maksimova

Sources: bruecke-museum.de , signandsight.com , rian.ru , artinvestment.ru