Stefanie Heckmann – författare

Munch’s pictorial worlds – the initial impetus for modernism Edvard Munch’s radical modernity in painting was a challenge for his contemporaries. This applied in particular to the art scene in Berlin around 1900 which the Norwegian Symbolist artist influenced profoundly. In return, he received support there and was able to continue to develop his work. The publication is lavishly illustrated and describes knowledgeably the story of Munch and Berlin. In 1892 the Association of Berlin Artists invited the still-unknown Edvard Munch (1863–1944) to an exhibition. The public was shocked by the colourful, sketch-like pictures. The artist enjoyed the furore and moved to the city on the Spree, where he repeatedly sojourned until 1908. Here he learned the techniques for printed graphics and presented for the first time paintings in several continuous series which would become central to his oeuvre. In Berlin, before long, the concept of the “Magic of the North” (Stefan Zweig) was no longer associated with romantic or naturalistic fjord landscapes, but with Munch’s psychologically concentrated pictorial worlds.

The significance of Lovis Corinth for Modernism can hardly be overstated. Even during his lifetime, the painter was among the most prominent figures in the Berlin art scene. Born and raised in Tapiau, East Prussia, he moved from Munich to the imperial capital in 1900. At that time, Berlin was already significantly more progressive than the Bavarian residence city. Corinth is said to have commented on his success story on the Spree: “It didn’t take off until Berlin.“ The exhibition and catalogue focus on Corinth’s career and his major influence on the city’s art scene, but also on his influential private environment. Less familiar themes illustrate how modern the artist’s painting, life, and thinking were: Corinth’s painting school, where he primarily taught women, and his work for the Berlin theater.