Steilküste und Meer – Fehmarn 1913

Editor: So, this is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Steilkuste und Meer - Fehmarn," an etching from 1913. It strikes me as both serene and a little unsettling, almost claustrophobic with that mass of foliage pressed into the foreground. What stands out to you? Curator: The unease you feel is key, and it stems from more than just compositional elements. Think about Expressionism arising in Germany in the years leading up to World War One. Artists felt alienated, they experienced rapid industrialisation. How might Kirchner’s experience of these societal pressures filter into a seemingly peaceful landscape? Editor: I see what you mean. The compressed space, that anxious energy...It's not simply a record of the scenery. It's about feeling something specific in response to it. Curator: Precisely. Now, look at the almost brutal, scratchy lines. Etching allows for that expressive quality, but why choose this particular medium? What does the act of physically carving into a plate to create an image suggest about the artist’s relationship to his subject, or to the world? Editor: Well, carving implies a forceful action, a kind of violence, maybe? It makes me think about taking something away, instead of simply observing. It’s definitely not neutral. Curator: Exactly. And think about Fehmarn. This wasn't just a pretty scene. Kirchner, and many other artists associated with Die Brucke, saw nature as an escape, but also a site of raw, untamed power. Editor: So, this image captures not just the place, but Kirchner's complicated, maybe even conflicted, feelings about escaping to nature from a rapidly changing and troubling society. Thanks, that context really makes a difference. Curator: The pleasure is mine. It shows how situating artworks within a specific historical and socio-political reality helps uncover deeper meanings. There’s still much to discuss on how gender or race intersects with this landscape view, though.