Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

From 1911 to 1914, Kirchner spent his summers on the remote Baltic island of Fehmarn, a location he considered “primitive.” For members of Die Brücke, the “primitive”—whether found in African art or rural German scenes—conveyed a direct authenticity that had been lost in modern society. The rough cutting and tilted perspective of this print turns an idyllic scene into something ominous, echoing the anxieties immediately preceding the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.