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.