Frau mit Ziege 1938

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted this oil painting, "Frau mit Ziege," sometime during his career. The image depicts a woman with a herd of goats by a stream, rendered in bold colors and simplified forms. Kirchner was a leading figure in the German Expressionist movement, which emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction against academic art and the rapid industrialization of society. Expressionists sought to express intense emotions through distorted forms and non-naturalistic colors, reflecting the anxieties and alienation of modern life. In this painting, Kirchner’s use of vibrant colors and flattened perspective conveys a sense of immediacy and emotional intensity. The choice of subject matter – a woman tending to animals in a rural setting – reflects a yearning for a simpler, more authentic way of life. Kirchner, like many artists of his time, was deeply concerned with the social and cultural changes taking place in Germany. A close study of his biography and of the Expressionist movement can shed light on this painting and its cultural context.