Digitorial to the exhibition
HARMONY AND
DISSONANCE
LYONEL
FEININGER
HARMONY AND
DISSONANCE
LYONEL
FEININGER
Digitorial to the exhibition
crystalline buildings, prismatic structures, and clean lines. grotesque figures. melancholy, fairy-tale-like cityscapes.
The spectrum of Lyonel Feininger’s visual language is as vast as it is contradictory. These seemingly opposing tendencies shape his artistic signature. THEY ARE INEXTRICABLE FROM HIS OEUVRE.
Feininger was a multidisciplinary master – from caricature and painting, to woodcuts and beyond. He also left behind an extensive body of photographic works.
Learn how his works come together harmoniously in The Digitorial accompanying the exhibition.
In this self-portrait, Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956) looks out from the page with a pensive, skeptical expression. Minimal lines and hatchings suffice to flesh out the contours of his face and imply dimensionality. Feininger had been living in Germany for twenty-five years by the time he produced this drawing. Born and raised in Manhattan, he began life as a New Yorker. When he was sixteen years old, he traveled to Germany to study music. Soon after enrollment in music school, he began to take drawing lessons at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule (Eng.: General Vocational School) in Hamburg. He then transferred to the Königliche Akademische Hochschule für die bildenden Künste (Eng.: Royal Academic University of the Visual Arts) in Berlin to continue his submersion into the world of visual art.
Mysterious figures and lanky legs. Distorted proportions and “types” from bygone eras. Playfully haunting and delightfully grotesque. This is the figurative language of Lyonel Feininger.
Feininger began his artistic career as a caricaturist. His expertise in this genre lent his figurative style a humorous touch. He was inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and the posters of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901), especially by his use of flat color fields. Feininger’s figures are not individuals as such. They are archetypes of people – or “types” – such as workers or women in extravagant attire. The figures are in constant motion, though their garments are frozen in time. For instance, he often drew men wearing top hats, which had long ceased being fashionable in the artists’ adulthood.
In 1906, Feininger temporarily moved to Paris – the central hub of the European art world – with his future wife, the artist Julia Berg. While there, he expanded his creative horizons. He was working as a caricaturist for the journal “Le Témoin” (Eng.: “The Witness”) when he drew a lanky figure that would become the study for his first figurative painting a year later in 1907: “The White Man”. Upon closer inspection, one can detect a self-portrait of Feininger in this figure. Throughout his life, the artist drew extensively and would use his sketches as motifs for paintings months, or even years, after he had originally drawn them.
Five costumed figures prowl through a fairy-tale-like city at night. Perhaps they are on their way to debaucherous festivities. “Carnival” is part of Feininger’s “masquerade” series. A masquerade is a costume party with extravagant, formal dress. It can include dancing or other planned activities. The attendees wear masks so that they can behave without inhibitions while retaining their anonymity. This work combines Feininger’s interest in historic, European cities with the exaggerated figures from his visual language as a caricaturist. Although these carnivalesque “types” are diverse in appearance, they are united by their diagonal body posture as they stride forward in unison. By using a slightly upturned perspective, Feininger creates a captivating sense of movement in the painting.
Five costumed figures prowl through a fairy-tale-like city at night. Perhaps they are on their way to debaucherous festivities. “Carnival” is part of Feininger’s “masquerade” series. A masquerade is a costume party with extravagant, formal dress. It can include dancing or other planned activities. The attendees wear masks so that they can behave without inhibitions while retaining their anonymity. This work combines Feininger’s interest in historic, European cities with the exaggerated figures from his visual language as a caricaturist. Although these carnivalesque “types” are diverse in appearance, they are united by their diagonal body posture as they stride forward in unison. By using a slightly upturned perspective, Feininger creates a captivating sense of movement in the painting.
Japanese woodblock prints reached the height of their popularity during the first half of the 19th century, during which they became known as ukiyo-e (Eng.: pictures of the floating world). They show scenes of daily life as well as mythical subjects, such as encounters with demons and spirits. In this print, “Emma’ō” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, the king of the underworld is passing judgment upon the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII after his death. The figures in ukiyo-e are outlined in black and have a flat visual effect. There are no directional light sources, which gives the otherwise vibrant colors a desaturated effect. Feininger employed a similar use of outlining and flat color in “Carnival”. Although the subject in his painting is rooted in reality, the scene has fantastical qualities similar to those of ukiyo-e.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the official poster designer of the infamous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris. This poster shows two of the biggest stars of the show: the eponymous headliner “La Goulue,” née Louise Weber, and her dance partner Valentin le Désossé. The influence of ukiyo-e on Toulouse-Lautrec’s work is recognizable in the flatness of the figures and the desaturated colors. In contrast to the limited depth of Japanese woodblock prints, his poster evinces the use of light and shadow and a clear fore-, middle, and background. One can see how Toulouse-Lautrec’s own interpretation of desaturated color palates and flat figures in addition to his use of depth are similar to the visual techniques Feininger employed in “Carnival”.
Japanese woodblock prints reached the height of their popularity during the first half of the 19th century, during which they became known as ukiyo-e (Eng.: pictures of the floating world). They show scenes of daily life as well as mythical subjects, such as encounters with demons and spirits. In this print, “Emma’ō” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, the king of the underworld is passing judgment upon the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII after his death. The figures in ukiyo-e are outlined in black and have a flat visual effect. There are no directional light sources, which gives the otherwise vibrant colors a desaturated effect. Feininger employed a similar use of outlining and flat color in “Carnival”. Although the subject in his painting is rooted in reality, the scene has fantastical qualities similar to those of ukiyo-e.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the official poster designer of the infamous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris. This poster shows two of the biggest stars of the show: the eponymous headliner “La Goulue,” née Louise Weber, and her dance partner Valentin le Désossé. The influence of ukiyo-e on Toulouse-Lautrec’s work is recognizable in the flatness of the figures and the desaturated colors. In contrast to the limited depth of Japanese woodblock prints, his poster evinces the use of light and shadow and a clear fore-, middle, and background. One can see how Toulouse-Lautrec’s own interpretation of desaturated color palates and flat figures in addition to his use of depth are similar to the visual techniques Feininger employed in “Carnival”.
“. . . it is because I have such fantasies that I am a caricaturist, a person who perceives everything more intensively than the prescribed norm.”
LYONEL FEININGER –1905
“. . . it is because I have such fantasies that I am a caricaturist, a person who perceives everything more intensively than the prescribed norm.”
LYONEL
FEININGER–1905
Feininger led a successful career as a caricaturist in Berlin for many years. He worked for several satirical newspapers, including the “Lustige Blätter,” (Eng.: “Funny Pages”). Because political caricatures react to topical issues, the commentary within historical caricatures can be difficult for modern audiences to decipher. In the color lithograph “St. Louis”, he critiques the St. Louis World’s Fair, which took place there in 1904. A world’s fair is an international trade fair at which the participating countries present their greatest achievements. During this particular exposition, Germany presented accurate reconstructions of buildings and Jugendstil furniture. The country incurred very high costs for their participation. Instead of welcoming the German visitor sailing in from the shadows, the Statue of Liberty is ironically demanding an admission fee from him as she unfurls a long invoice.
Buildings and depictions of architecture play a prominent role in Feininger’s work. The villages and medieval churches of Thuringia in particular remained a permanent source of inspiration throughout the artist’s life.
1911 was a year of revelations for Feininger. He was still in Paris at this time, which was where he was first exposed to the artistic movement of Cubism. The Cubists disassembled and reassembled subjects in order to create images that contained many visual perspectives simultaneously. For Feininger, Cubism represented the possibility to move beyond a purely representational approach to art. His depictions of architecture appear to be flooded with light, which allowed him to capture both the physical and metaphysical sides of a structure. He attempted to recreate the character of a building by distilling it into its aura. In the way people of the Middle Ages stood in awe of cathedrals, Feininger strove to depict people’s spiritual experiences of architecture.
The genesis of many of the artist’s paintings stemmed from drawings he made to document his environment and precise observations of the natural world. Feininger called these his “nature notes.” He used these sketches to generate larger compositions at later dates, sometimes years after their initial creation. He would return to his “nature notes,” gradually shape the motif in his mind’s eye, and then render it in a painting.
During one summer stay in Heringsdorf on the island of Usedom, Feininger discovered the village church of Zirchow. He was struck by its compact form and short, spire-topped tower. In 1918, he transformed it into a monumental building with rich colors awash in mysterious light. The structure of the church consists of overlapping, rhythmically arranged planes. They are distilled into geometric forms, each with its own color gradation, which gives the two-dimensional painting a three-dimensional effect. The composition of the surfaces and the nuanced use of blue shades create the illusion of light moving across the image the way the sun travels across the sky. Feininger illustrated the passage of time in an unmoving medium.
“The further I came, the more beautiful the villages were.”
LYONEL
FEININGER–1913
“The further I came, the more beautiful the villages were.”
LYONEL FEININGER –1913
In 1919, German architect Walter Gropius (1883–1969) founded the Bauhaus in Weimar. Gropius appointed Feininger to the first generation of teachers – Masters, as they were called. Thus, the artist and his family took up residency in Weimar. By 1921, he had become the artistic director of the printmaking department. Julia Feininger was enrolled at the Bauhaus as a student and took many of her husband’s classes.
In the fourteen short years that the Bauhaus was in operation – from 1919 to 1933 – it cemented its legacy as the 20th century’s most important educational institution for art, architecture, and design. The mission of the Bauhaus was not only to forge new, contemporary methods of design, but also to create a new concept of knowledge creation and bring about an overall societal change.
A medieval church rises up from the ground. The central tower is flanked by smaller towers, all of which encircle the nave. The black ink amplifies the crystalline appearance of the building and its surroundings. This woodcut from 1919 was used as the title page of Walter Gropius’s founding manifesto for the Bauhaus. The church is surrounded by rays of light being cast from the three stars crowning each tower, which symbolize the communion between all art genres.
In his manifesto, Gropius put forth the idea of the “new building of the future” to unite all arts—architecture, sculpture, and painting—which were previously separated from one another in traditional academies. The Bauhaus curriculum romanticized medieval building techniques. The way in which craftsmen joined forces to form a cooperative, working group in order to erect a building played an important symbolic role for Gropius. The Bauhaus was to be a kind of “building site office” that was to facilitate the connection between art and handcraft and unite arts into a Gesamtkunstwerk.
Bauhauses in Weimar
A medieval church rises up from the ground. The central tower is flanked by smaller towers, all of which encircle the nave. The black ink amplifies the crystalline appearance of the building and its surroundings. This woodcut from 1919 was used as the title page of Walter Gropius’s founding manifesto for the Bauhaus. The church is surrounded by rays of light being cast from the three stars crowning each tower, which symbolize the communion between all art genres.
In his manifesto, Gropius put forth the idea of the “new building of the future” to unite all arts—architecture, sculpture, and painting—which were previously separated from one another in traditional academies. The Bauhaus curriculum romanticized medieval building techniques. The way in which craftsmen joined forces to form a cooperative, working group in order to erect a building, played an important symbolic role for Gropius. The Bauhaus was to be a kind of “building site office” that was to facilitatethe connection between art and handcraft and unite arts into a Gesamtkunstwerk.
_ innovative teaching at the Bauhaus
Education was the main focus at the Bauhaus. Walter Gropius developed this diagram to visualize his curriculum with “building” at the center of the circle. Only the most talented students were admitted to the architectural program. At the beginning of their studies, all students took a preliminary course. They experimented freely with color, form, and materials without specific projects to execute. Instead of copying templates, as was the standard practice in most art academies, the students’ intuition was the basis for their designs. The preliminary course was followed by material praxis workshops, which the students chose based on their individual aptitudes. Gropius’s newly developed pedagogy was unprecedented. This attracted renowned artists, including Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, to join the faculty and to provide innovative instruction in the workshops.
_ innovative teaching at the Bauhaus
Education was the main focus at the Bauhaus. Walter Gropius developed this diagram to visualize his curriculum with “building” at the center of the circle. Only the most talented students were admitted to the architectural program. At the beginning of their studies, all students took a preliminary course. They experimented freely with color, form, and materials without specific projects to execute. Instead of copying templates, as was the standard practice in most art academies, the students’ intuition was the basis for their designs. The preliminary course was followed by material praxis workshops, which the students chose based on their individual aptitudes. Gropius’s newly developed pedagogy was unprecedented. This attracted renowned artists, including Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, to join the faculty and to provide innovative instruction in the workshops.
Throughout his life, Feininger believed that music and painting went hand in hand. Staring from childhood, music played a large role in his life. His mother Elizabeth Feininger, neé Lutz, was a singer and pianist. His father, Karl, was a renowned violinist and composer, and they both filled their home with music. Lyonel Feininger began taking violin lessons with his father at the age of nine. When he was sixteen years old, he traveled to Germany to study violin at the Königliches Konservatorium der Musik (Eng. Royal Conservatorium of Music) in Leipzig. Although he ultimately decided to study visual art, music remained an important driving force in his creative process.
“Without music, I cannot see myself as a painter.”
LYONEL FEININGER –1944
In Weimar, Feininger met the composer Hans Brönner, who shared his appreciation for the fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Feininger was fascinated by the structure, order, symmetry, rigor, and logic of Bach’s music. He was particularly interested in Bach’s use of counterpoint—a musical principle in which one melodic sequence is played in conjunction with another. The two melodies have a contrasting progression organized according to strict rules, which ultimately create a harmonious sound.
Feininger compared his own art with the “synthesis of a fugue”,
in which harmony and dissonance coexist with staggered, overlapping motifs and rhythms.
Feininger also composed music. In 1921, he wrote his first fugue. By 1928, he had completed fifteen more fugues. Although many of his pieces were performed, only “Fuge VI” was published during his lifetime. Feininger’s fugues were well-received by critics. That being said, Feininger himself was often disappointed by the public presentation of his music, because he found the musicians’ interpretations to be too modern.
Audio
“Fugue I” (Excerpt)
Audio
“Fugue I” (Excerpt)
For a long time, Feininger was very critical of photography and the overall mechanization of art production. Nevertheless, he began to experiment with photography at the end of the 1920s. A deciding factor in his change of perspective could have come from the fact that his three sons – Andreas, Laurence, and T. Lux – were all very occupied with the medium at this time. For Feininger, photography was a private affair. He was, therefore, able to experiment freely and develop his own photographic style without the pressure of trying to make salable results.
The artist used similar motifs in both photography and painting and explored specific possibilities of the respective media. He also used photography to pursue the same visual techniques he used in painting: capturing light, creating rhythmic compositions, and concentrating on the essence of the subject.
The Bauhaus was moved from Weimar to Dessau in 1925. Feininger and his family followed suit and moved into one of the masters’ houses that Gropius erected for the faculty. The modern Bauhaus building often served as a backdrop for photographs of the bustling daily life at the institution. This was not the case for Feininger. He was perhaps the only photographer who took pictures of the Bauhaus in the dead of night, showing it as a quiet, deserted place. This hazy night shot transforms the familiar surroundings into an alien world. Feininger’s penchant for light-dark contrasts and the interplay between shadows and forms is evident here.
The dark, rectangular row houses in this nightscape are illuminated by the shades of yellow from the lit windows. This painting was very likely composed from a photograph. Perhaps the light-dark contrast of the façade of the otherwise unassuming buildings piqued the artist’s attention during one of his nighttime strolls. The outline of the building as well as the individual windows seem somewhat blurred in the painting, as if the scene were being viewed while quickly walking by.
The Bauhaus was moved from Weimar to Dessau in 1925. Feininger and his family followed suit and moved into one of the masters’ houses that Gropius erected for the faculty. The modern Bauhaus building often served as a backdrop for photographs of the bustling daily life at the institution. This was not the case for Feininger. He was perhaps the only photographer who took pictures of the Bauhaus in the dead of night, showing it as a quiet, deserted place. This hazy night shot transforms the familiar surroundings into an alien world. Feininger’s penchant for light-dark contrasts and the interplay between shadows and forms is evident here.
The dark, rectangular row houses in this nightscape are illuminated by the shades of yellow from the lit windows. This painting was very likely composed from a photograph. Perhaps the light-dark contrast of the façade of the otherwise unassuming buildings piqued the artist’s attention during one of his nighttime strolls. The outline of the building as well as the individual windows seem somewhat blurred in the painting, as if the scene were being viewed while quickly walking by.
GELMERODA: SMALL CHURCH, GOTHIC CATHEDRAL
One of Feininger’s most important series focuses on the village church of Gelmeroda (today a district of Weimar). The artist first sketched the church in 1906 and dedicated himself to portraying it in his work up until shortly before his death.
The church of Gelmeroda is a gothic-era building. Its iconic, pointed tower was added to the church in 1830. Feininger featured it in ten paintings, over twenty-five drawings, one etching, fourteen woodcuts, and one lithograph. This series is a comprehensive reflection of Feininger’s artistic methods, including his constant use of his impressions of nature as a starting point for his works. Between 1906 and 1919, Feininger spent a lot of time in Weimar and produced numerous “nature notes” directly in front of the church. The artist notated what he saw with swift, confident lines, which became source material for monumental compositions years – and sometimes decades – after the fact.
In this painting, Feininger shows the eastern side of the church. This was how it appeared when one entered the village. The narrow church and its long, thin steeple is surrounded by a fragmented, crystalline sky. A towering fir tree to the right of it serves as its compositional counterweight. The nuanced palate of yellows contrasted against the darker elements gives the painting a rhythmic quality. Both the church tower and tree tilt slightly to the right, which gives the composition a feeling of tension.
Here one sees a very different interpretation of the motif. The church is seen from the side, and the steeple is shifted to the left from its vertical center axis. It rises up to meet the upper edge of the canvas. The painting is divided into distinct areas by horizontal and vertical lines. The cool, grayish-blue color palette emphasizes the austerity of this rendition of Gelmeroda. The church is no longer contrasted with the fir tree, but rather it is framed by houses. The small, narrowly painted people in front of the façade amplify the vertical orientation composition. Instead of recreating a small, village church, Feininger monumentalizes it into a magnificent cathedral.
In this woodcut, the artist abstracts natural forms. The surface of the church is broken up into geometric shapes with precise lines. The linear treatment of the church extends beyond the structure, merging the architecture with its surroundings. The small village church seems immaterial, like a crystalline form at the center of a cosmos.
Now, the church tower is rendered in shades of brown and white against a cerulean sky with lilac highlights. The illuminated window in the tower has the presence of a large, green eye. On the left edge of the painting, a tree juts into the field of view. The overlapping planes of the composition seem translucent; this translucency symbolizes mental clarity and spirituality. The artist is not merely depicting a church. He is substantiating people’s spiritual relationship to said church.
The last known iteration of Gelmeroda is this lithograph from 1955, which the artist based on an ink drawing completed in the prior year. The church tower has a spectral glow and filigree quality. The fine lines and diffused grays create the impression that one is observing the artist midthought while he builds this motif. It is a fading memory; in view, yet out of reach.
“There is solely one art—the timeless”
LYONEL
FEININGER–1917
“There is solely one art—the timeless”
LYONEL
FEININGER–1917
_ Underway by Bicycle
Bicycles underwent a design overhaul and a surge in popularity at the end of the 19th century. The cumbersome penny-farthing – characterized by its large front wheel, upon which the pedals were mounted – was replaced by the lower frames we know today. For modern artists, bicycles were both artistic subjects and a vital form of personal transportation, which facilitated their bodily autonomy and closeness to nature. Feininger was an avid cyclist who explored the German countryside on a modern racing bike. He once wrote of an excursion during which he “passed over twenty new villages” and rode sixty-eight kilometers in a day. Considering the condition of the roads and the technical configuration of bicycles at the time, this was a very impressive feat.
Feininger’s oeuvre is as multifaceted as it is dynamic. His works were constantly evolving as he explored and moved between different media.
The Machine Era was in its infancy during Feininger’s childhood. Developments in public transportation in New York City led to the introduction of elevated trains, which Feininger remembered vividly. Vehicles of various types of propulsion methods became motifs in his work. Beyond the purely mechanical, he experimented with diverse techniques to capture and recreate the ephemeral quality of movement.
_ Model Yachting in New York
Feininger’s lifelong hobby was building and racing model yachts. He first did so as a young boy in New York City. The first races in the city were held in 1875 and attracted thousands of visitors to Conservatory Water, a small pond in Central Park. At this time, one could only propel the yachts by pushing them with a pole. For this reason, the outcome of a race was decided by wind direction and luck. In 1916, the official Central Park Model Yacht Club was founded to organize the participants. The CPMYC is still active and holds races every Saturday on Conservatory Water. The yachts are still propelled by wind, but now they can be steered with remote control rudders
“The earliest impressions I have of machinery were the trains, the locomotives, half terrifying and wholly fascinating . . .”
LYONEL
FEININGER
Four “Skerry Cruisers” glide past an opulent, orange sky. Skerry cruisers are a type of wooden yacht that are commonly sailed on the Baltic Sea, where Feininger spent many holidays. The water level is slightly higher on the right side of the painting, which suggests the generation of lift. The subtle, yet impactful, use of diagonal lines creates a sense of calm, yet swift, movement in what would be an otherwise static scene.
Four “Skerry Cruisers” glide past an opulent, orange sky. Skerry cruisers are a type of wooden yacht that are commonly sailed on the Baltic Sea, where Feininger spent many holidays. The water level is slightly higher on the right side of the painting, which suggests the generation of lift. The subtle, yet impactful, use of diagonal lines creates a sense of calm, yet swift, movement in what would be an otherwise static scene.
“The Cyclists” represent Feininger‘s most literal, painterly depiction of movement. As an avid bicycle enthusiast, he depicted the racers as only a fellow cyclist could. The figures’ bodies are constituted of triangles, which illustrates how the raised seat and low handlebars of racing bicycles give the rider an aerodynamic posture. The prismatic construction of the bicycle frames and bodies shows the complete synthesis of the riders with their metal steeds. These riders also represents another kind of movement for Feininger – his upward, professional mobility. This painting was his entry for the First German Autumn Salon, which was a groundbreaking modern art exhibition held in Berlin in 1913.
“The Cyclists” represent Feininger‘s most literal, painterly depiction of movement. As an avid bicycle enthusiast, he depicted the racers as only a fellow cyclist could. The figures’ bodies are constituted of triangles, which illustrates how the raised seat and low handlebars of racing bicycles give the rider an aerodynamic posture. The prismatic construction of the bicycle frames and bodies shows the complete synthesis of the riders with their metal steeds. These riders also represents another kind of movement for Feininger – his upward, professional mobility. This painting was his entry for the First German Autumn Salon, which was a groundbreaking modern art exhibition held in Berlin in 1913.
In 1919, Feininger began carving small, whimsical figures out of wood for his three sons. In addition to the figures, he created buildings and structures. He called this playful creation the “City at the Edge of the World.” Before working in three dimensions, the artist created a gouache painting of the same title in 1910, which was printed in the magazine “Licht und Schatten”. Even though the figurines were intended to be toys, they contain the same elements of melancholy and escapism that are evident throughout the artist’s works. The “City at the Edge of the World” had a special place in Feininger’s heart. During his exile in New York, he created additional figures and elements for his tiny world.
In 1919, Feininger began carving small, whimsical figures out of wood for his three sons. In addition to the figures, he created buildings and structures. He called this playful creation the “City at the Edge of the World.” Before working in three dimensions, the artist created a gouache painting of the same title in 1910, which was printed in the magazine “Licht und Schatten”. Even though the figurines were intended to be toys, they contain the same elements of melancholy and escapism that are evident throughout the artist’s works. The “City at the Edge of the World” had a special place in Feininger’s heart. During his exile in New York, he created additional figures and elements for his tiny world.
The New York City of Feininger’s childhood is almost unimaginable for people today. Although the first skyscrapers were constructed in the late 19th century, the primary mode of private transportation was still the horse and carriage. The city to which he returned was populated by automobiles. In this “new” New York street, one can see the absence of movement: a traffic jam. In “Colored Trucks” Feininger was not documenting cars, but rather capturing a composition of various colors and forms through an almost abstract, Bauhausian perspective.
The New York City of Feininger’s childhood is almost unimaginable for people today. Although the first skyscrapers were constructed in the late 19th century, the primary mode of private transportation was still the horse and carriage. The city to which he returned was populated by automobiles. In this „new“ New York street, one can see the absence of movement: a traffic jam. In “Colored Trucks” Feininger was not documenting cars, but rather capturing a composition of various colors and forms through a almost abstract, Bauhausian perspective.
Trains are a recurring motif in Lyonel Feininger’s oeuvre. He created works featuring them using various media. On the left, one can see “Three Locomotives and Two Tenders”. They are some of the few surviving models of his patented block trains (Ger.: Block-Eisenbahn) ¬– his exciting, yet short-lived venture in commercial toy production. On the right, a train chugs down the tracks high above people below in “Railroad Viaduct”. The train in this humorous, grotesque woodcut is reminiscent of Feininger’s realistic, toy trains.
_ Feininger’s Wooden Train Set
Feininger’s plans for his block trains would never be fully realized. In 1913, he entered a manufacturing agreement with the Munich toy manufacturer Otto Löwenstein. He spent many months away from his family making manufacturing plans and meticulous schematics in watercolor for his toy trains. To optimize production and reduce the sales price, he developed a “sliding block” (Ger.: Gleitklotz) in lieu of wheels, which were to be painted with stencils. In letters to Julia, he jubilated over the newfound, boyish excitement and personal fulfillment he felt through this project. He wanted to spread joy to young and old by creating an object that was both a toy for children and a nostalgic, decorative item for adults who were still young at heart. Packaging printed with “Lyonel Feininger’s Block Train. International. True to Model. Unbreakable” had already been made. Unfortunately, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 brought production to a screeching halt. His personal disappointment is not comparable to the extreme loss of life and carnage of the War. Nevertheless, there is a unique sadness that hangs over this broken dream.
The Baltic Sea was one of Feininger’s favorite motifs. The artist was mesmerized by the beauty of the sea and dune landscapes; the work and lives of fishermen; and the tempestuous weather of the region.
Feininger lived most of his life in large cities, but he spent time every summer on the Baltic Sea with his family or by himself. In 1892, he visited the island of Rügen for the first time, and he returned there frequently in the subsequent years. In 1905, he and Julia Feininger created drawings while staying at a resort northeast of the city of Rostock on the mouth of the Rega River. In 1908, he stayed at the sophisticated seaside resort in Heringsdorf on the island of Usedom, which became his favorite accommodation. While there, he made sketches of beach-goers, which became studies for ensuing works.
Colorfully dressed bathers, whose abstracted bodies resemble prisms, walk along the coast and swim in the sea. The sand, sea, and sky have been condensed into equally-wide, parallel bands. The horizontal striations of the sky are interrupted by sailboats. In this painting, Feininger explored new pictorial possibilities by juxtaposing different forms and structures against one another.
These specific bathers are based on “nature notes” Feininger made of people he observed while in Heringsdorf in 1911. In that particular sketch, he captured the movement of the various beachgoers, which is mirrored in this painting.
Colorfully dressed bathers, whose abstracted bodies resemble prisms, walk along the coast and swim in the sea. The sand, sea, and sky have been condensed into equally-wide, parallel bands. The horizontal striations of the sky are interrupted by sailboats. In this painting, Feininger explored new pictorial possibilities by juxtaposing different forms and structures against one another.
These specific bathers are based on “nature notes” Feininger made of people he observed while in Heringsdorf in 1911. In that particular sketch, he captured the movement of the various beachgoers, which is mirrored in this painting.
FEININGER discovered a seemingly endless stretch of coastline near THE seaside resort of DEEP.
IT became the inspiration for his seascapes in the following decades.
In 1924, the entire Feininger family traveled for the first time to a seaside resort in Deep (today Mrzeżyno in Poland) on the mouth of the Rega River. While there, the artist discovered a seemingly endless and unspoiled stretch of coastline. These rugged, steep dunes became the inspiration for many of his seascapes in the following decades. In this series, the artist engaged with the topics of emptiness, vastness, and the solitude of people. Similarly to his depictions of churches, he incorporated a spiritual dimension to his seascapes by playing with space and light.
A tiny figure stands on a deserted beach. White, columnar clouds hang over the low horizon. “Dune at Eventide” instantly conjures images of the work of artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840). In a letter to his son T. Lux Feininger, the artist cited the influence British landscape painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) had on his “understanding of light and shadow, magical space, and reflections on the water and in the atmosphere.”
A tiny figure stands on a deserted beach. White, columnar clouds hang over the low horizon. “Dune at Eventide” instantly conjures images of the work of artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840). In a letter to his son T. Lux Feininger, the artist cited the influence British landscape painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) had on his “understanding of light and shadow, magical space, and reflections on the water and in the atmosphere.”
The thematic similarities between these paintings by Feininger and Friedrich are instantly recognizable. That being said, Feininger stated that he first became aware of Friedrich’s work later in life. In both paintings, an individual is visually confronted with the vastness of nature, but they express opposing interpretations of spirituality. Friedrich portrays nature as an overwhelming counterpoint to civilization, which is intended to elicit a sense of both shock and awe. The threatening sky seems endless. In comparison, Feininger’s dune landscape is vast yet finite. Though the petite figure in Friedrich’s work emphasizes the enormity of the cosmos, the equally small figure in Feininger’s painting is made the focal point through their brightly colored garments and planarity.
Feininger encountered Turner’s works for the first time while visiting London in 1908. Turner was very interested in the different atmospheres of the places he visited. In his landscape paintings, he aimed to recreate the local weather phenomena as well as his impression of the location. Feininger appreciated Turner’s disposition and incorporated this attitude into his own subtle experiences of light and depictions of the elements. This painting shows the HMS Temeraire being towed down the Thames River on her way to being dismantled in front of the backdrop of the setting sun. The decommissioned battleship is painted in golden white tones and looks ghostly in comparison to the steam-powered tugboat, which is a metaphor for the double-edged sword of technical progress.
“In disposition, I am realistic . . . but nonetheless very romantic, purely subjective.”
LYONEL
FEININGER – 1905
Feininger was mesmerized by the way light filtered through trees. He portrayed this motif in various media. In the painting “Avenue of Trees,” a path cuts diagonally through a wooded area. A complex matrix of lines turns the paintings surface into a mosaic of light and dark. A solitary man strolls down the avenue, frozen in an unnatural pose. His body is situated in the negative space between the trees created by the lines extending beyond their trunks. Only in its entirety do the elements of the composition become recognizable forms.
This photograph was taken near Feininger’s home in Dessau thirteen years later. As in “Avenue of Trees,” the field of view is framed by trees. The source of the intensive light is obscured by the tree trunk in the center, which create a high contrast. The light is refracted in the misty air, illuminating the darkness with a radiant aura. The night view makes the artist’s familiar surroundings seem otherworldly and mysterious.
Even during times of joy and success, a shadow followed Feininger. In 1937, he escaped from the National Socialist regime in Germany and fled to the United States. Suddenly, the shadow had a new form and name: exile.
The US-American Feininger was an extremely successful artist in Germany. When the National Socialists seized power, he and many modern artists were categorized as “degenerate” artists. His wife Julia was persecuted for being Jewish. Without the ability to work and fearing for their lives, the Feiningers went into exile in 1937 and fled to New York City.
“People with yearnings understand me.”
LYONEL
FEININGER–1917
What should have been a joyous homecoming was anything but that. The artist was at the height of his career when the National Socialists defamed him. After spending fifty years working and building a professional network in Europe, the New York to which he returned was an unrecognizable, inhospitable place. Julia and Lyonel Feininger also struggled financially at the beginning of their exile. He visually manifested his longing for Germany in his work by returning to past motifs, such as the church of Gelmeroda. The adjustment was strenuous, but he eventually found inspiration in the Manhattan skyline, which became a new motif for him. In 1944, he reclaimed his unfairly interrupted success when The Museum of Modern Art held a retrospective of his works.
_ Julia Feininger
Julia Feininger was the one true constant in Lyonel’s life. In 1905, he met the artist Julia Berg (neé Lilienfeld) in Berlin. They were both married to other people at the time. They divorced their respective partners and Julia gave birth to their first son, Andreas, shortly thereafter. The couple married in 1908 and had two more sons—Laurence in 1909 and T. Lux in 1910. Julia was a talented artist, and it was her talent that originally attracted Lyonel, but she gave up her career in order to take care of the children and support her husband. While this decision can be seen critically today, she and Lyonel had a balanced partnership. Her support gave Feininger incalculable moral and professional support, which is evident in their extensive letter correspondence. The love and respect he had for Julia strongly influenced the course of his career. For example, she was the person who motivated him to experiment with painting.
Tall trees flank the sides of the chasm created by the road through the forest. The sky is clear, but it is shaped like a jagged shard. The minuscule man in the foreground is engulfed by the darkness around him. “The Road in the Pine Forest” evokes a sense of loneliness. The First World War had just come to an end when Feininger made this woodcut. During the war, he was forced to register with the police as a “national of an enemy country” (Ger.: Angehöriger eines Feindstaates) on a weekly basis. “Road in the Pine Forest” is possibly a reflection of Feininger’s alienation and feeling of isolation during this time.
“Manhattan I” is part of the artist’s painting series of dystopic visions of New York. The buildings on both sides of the street canyon appear rickety and dilapidated. The yellow is not sunny, but rather noxious. The browns are ominous instead of warm and earthy. There is a glimpse of a clear, blue sky, it is almost entirely obscured by a large, columnar cloud. Perhaps it is the exhaust fumes and smog being belched out by the ceaseless New York traffic that is hiding the sky.
Exile in New York posed personal as well as artistic challenges for Feininger. He found the city in its entirety to be too overwhelming to capture in paint, so he turned to modern technology to approach his subject— the color slide. While in Europe, he frequently used the motif of street canyons in paintings, photographs, and woodcuts. In New York, Feininger revisited this motif, but with residential and commercial skyscrapers. From the upturned perspective, the buildings seem massive and sublime. The focus of his slide photography is not to document details, but rather to demonstrate the overall effect of structures and forms.
Tall trees flank the sides of the chasm created by the road through the forest. The sky is clear, but it is shaped like a jagged shard. The minuscule man in the foreground is engulfed by the darkness around him. “The Road in the Pine Forest” evokes a sense of loneliness. The First World War had just come to an end when Feininger made this woodcut. During the war, he was forced to register with the police as a “national of an enemy country” (Ger.: Angehöriger eines Feindstaates) on a weekly basis. “Road in the Pine Forest” is possibly a reflection of Feininger’s alienation and feeling of isolation during this time.
“Manhattan I” is part of the artist’s painting series of dystopic visions of New York. The buildings on both sides of the street canyon appear rickety and dilapidated. The yellow is not sunny, but rather noxious. The browns are ominous instead of warm and earthy. There is a glimpse of a clear, blue sky, it is almost entirely obscured by a large, columnar cloud. Perhaps it is the exhaust fumes and smog being belched out by the ceaseless New York traffic that is hiding the sky.
Exile in New York posed personal as well as artistic challenges for Feininger. He found the city in its entirety to be too overwhelming to capture in paint, so he turned to modern technology to approach his subject— the color slide. While in Europe, he frequently used the motif of street canyons in paintings, photographs, and woodcuts. In New York, Feininger revisited this motif, but with residential and commercial skyscrapers. From the upturned perspective, the buildings seem massive and sublime. The focus of his slide photography is not to document details, but rather to demonstrate the overall effect of structures and forms.
“The Vanishing Hour”
– The title alone speaks volumes about Feininger’s state of mind.
Between day and night, there is twilight—a liminal space.
In this painting, the sky looks as if it is ablaze with red flames, which stands in stark contrast to the cool, blueish-gray tones of the amorphous building. The black windows of the structure appear empty and unoccupied. It appears as if Feininger was processing his memories of Europe in this painting. He titled many architectural and landscape works of his New York era with the names of the locations. For other works, such as “The Vanishing Hour”, he chose more associative rather than geographic titles. Is this New York? Is this Berlin? Is this Dessau? This is nowhere. This is exile.
_ “DEGENERATE” ART
In 1933, the National Socialists began their campaign against so-called “degenerate” art (Ger.: “entartete” Kunst). The definition of “degenerate art” was purposefully vague, but the term was assigned to all media that did not correspond to the ideologies and aesthetics of National Socialism. Modern art was regarded as a threat to the regime. Modern artists, especially those of Jewish descent, were persecuted, and their works were removed from museums. Works by some of the most successful artists of the early twentieth century were auctioned off and sold. Over 400 of Feininger’s works were seized from collections and museums throughout Germany. The defamatory “Degenerate Art” exhibition was held in the Institute of Archaeology in the Hofgarten in Munich in 1937. In this photograph, one can see Feininger’s oil painting “Teltow,” which was intentionally mislabeled as “Hopfgarten.” Many of Feininger’s paintings were presented in the exhibition, including “Gelmeroda III.”
OUTRO
The exhibition at the SCHIRN shows an overview of Lyonel Feininger’s oeuvre—and the leitmotivs within it—in over 160 paintings, drawings, caricatures, watercolors, woodcuts, photographs, and objects. The artist actively integrated contradictions into his works. At times he was serious and melancholic. At other times playful and light, yet he was always profound. His complete body of work has a multitude of formal and thematic facets that still delight and surprise those who gaze upon them today.
Insider Tip
Three spectral figures rendered in smoky watercolor and undulating outlines have assembled themselves in an uncanny gathering. These “Sympathetic Gallery Visitors” belong to Feininger’s “Ghosties” series. While in exile in New York, he gifted these “finger exercises” to his loved ones as tokens of affection. The “Ghosties” are two-dimensional versions of the denizens of his toy city. They reflect Feininger’s humorous impressions of his surroundings, while also embodying his endless draftman’s drive to experiment with new aesthetics
Three spectral figures rendered in smoky watercolor and undulating outlines have assembled themselves in an uncanny gathering. These “Sympathetic Gallery Visitors” belong to Feininger’s “Ghosties” series. While in exile in New York, he gifted these “finger exercises” to his loved ones as tokens of affection. The “Ghosties” are two-dimensional versions of the denizens of his toy city. They reflect Feininger’s humorous impressions of his surroundings, while also embodying his endless draftman’s drive to experiment with new aesthetics
UNTIL 18 FEBRUARY 2024, you can discover the complete works of this exceptional artist in his retrospective at the
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt