Provenance

Roman Norbert Ketterer

1911 - 2002

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In saturated, vivid tones of mint green, marigold orange, dandelion yellow, sky blue, and rose pink, a long building stretches away from us along a walkway. The narrow end of the building facing us to the right is orange, and the long side is frosty green. The roof is painted garnet red, and the windows are created with slashes of midnight blue and dark red outlined with topaz blue. A wall enclosing the structure is lemon-lime yellow, and a fence in front of that is painted ultramarine blue. The walkway beneath the fence is pink and, to the left of that, pale blue. Two trees painted with twisting lines of ruby red, shamrock green, black, and off white edge into the scene along the left side, and the sky is lapis blue around a mint-green halo that surrounds the building’s roofline and walls. The scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes throughout.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Dance Hall Bellevue [obverse], 1909/1910, oil on canvas, Ruth and Jacob Kainen Collection, Gift in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1989.60.1.a

Dance Hall Bellevue [obverse]

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1909/1910 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1989.60.1.a

A man and woman with pale, pink-colored skin hold hands and dance in this stylized, abstracted vertical painting. The woman’s breasts are exposed, and a single teal-green cloth edged in sapphire blue appears to encase both of their torsos. The man is behind the woman just to our left, and he looks down at her. Her shoulders face us, but she looks back at him, both in profile. Their faces are each painted with one or two strokes each for eyebrows, eyes, lips, and, for the man, a nose. Their hands are lifted and joined, blending into single forms, and the woman takes a wide step to our left. Their bodies are outlined with maroon red, black, or slate blue. The background is ice blue interspersed with angular, tent-like forms painted in royal blue, pale blue, and maroon. The frame is shown and reveals that the painting was done on the back of a stretched canvas. A label affixed to the top rail reads “Nachl. E.L. Kirchner TA/BH 19.”
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Dancing Couple in the Snow [reverse], 1928-1929, oil on canvas, Ruth and Jacob Kainen Collection, Gift in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1989.60.1.b

Dancing Couple in the Snow [reverse]

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1928-1929 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1989.60.1.b

Two nude women, painted in vibrant coral peach and bubblegum pink, stand under a red umbrella in a landscape in this stylized, vertical painting. The scene is painted with areas of flat or streaked color with visible brushstrokes throughout. The women and umbrella take up most of the picture. The woman on our left stands facing our right almost in profile. Her skin is vivid peach. Slashes of red outline her breasts, groin, and legs. Her hair, eyes, and eyebrows are painted with black strokes. She stands on one leg and stretches the other in front of her to overlap the far foot of the other woman. The first woman hooks her arm through the elbow of the other, who stands facing us to our right. This second woman has vivid pink skin also outlined in red. Her face is a darker shade of pink, resembling a mask, and her eyes are parallel strokes of black and blue. Her left arm, on our right, hangs by her side, and she holds the umbrella with the other arm. She either wears a hat or her hair is painted with alternating bands of black, red, and brown, and there is a red flower or bow to one side. Black lines in the candy-red umbrella suggest a rib on the underside and the handle. Cobalt-blue branches of a tree above the women has blue and green leaves. The landscape beyond them is made up of bands of acid green, yellow, saturated blue, and cool green.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Two Girls under an Umbrella, 1910, oil on canvas, Collection of Arnold and Joan Saltzman, 1992.58.1

Two Girls under an Umbrella

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1910 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1992.58.1

The image depicts a scene of a structure with a large triangular rooftop in the center. The horizon line is high in the image, showing various smaller structures in the distance. The style is expressive, with bold outlines and cross-hatching creating contrasts between light and shadow. The color palette is monochromatic, with shades of black, white, and gray. The ground is textured with dark lines, and in the distance, trees and other structures are visible against the sky, creating depth.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Sand Dredgers on the Elbe, 1906, etching, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012.92.709

Sand Dredgers on the Elbe

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1906 · etching ·  Accession ID  2012.92.709

The image is a pencil drawing of a person in profile, facing left. The individual has distinct facial features, including a straight nose and closed lips, with eyes looking forward. The person's hair is straight, parted on the side, falling to the ear and beyond. They are wearing a high-collared garment. There are no visible accessories. The background is plain. The name and dates at the bottom indicate the portrait is of Johannes Scheffer, Ritter von Leonartshof, born in 1796 and died on January 12, 1822.
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff, c. 1822, graphite on wove paper, Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2007.111.161

Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld · c. 1822 · graphite on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2007.111.161

The image is a detailed pencil drawing of a man's face shown from the shoulders up. The man is depicted in a partial profile facing slightly to the right, with his head turned slightly toward the viewer. His facial features include deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and closed lips. He has neatly combed short, light-colored hair with slight waves. The man is wearing a high-collared shirt that is faintly sketched. There is no indication of any jewelry or objects present. The background is plain and unadorned. The edges of the drawing paper are slightly textured, lending an aged appearance to the image.
Josef von Führich, Principe Massimiliano Massimi, 1828, graphite on wove paper, Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2007.111.87

Principe Massimiliano Massimi

Josef von Führich · 1828 · graphite on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2007.111.87

The image features bold, sweeping lines and shapes on a textured surface, creating an abstract composition. Linear forms suggest arches resembling a bridge over a rectangular shape. Below this, two upright figures are seen. Irregular lines converge and stretch across the top, resembling stylized symbols or structural forms. The arrangement of lines and shapes constructs an abstract scene with a bridge and vessels.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Bridge on Crown Prince Embankment (Brucke am Kronprinzenufer), 1909, drypoint with tonal etching on blotting paper, Ruth and Jacob Kainen Collection, 1985.77.3

Bridge on Crown Prince Embankment (Brucke am Kronprinzenufer)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1909 · drypoint with tonal etching on blotting paper ·  Accession ID  1985.77.3

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Nude Women with a Child in the Forest, 1925, color woodcut printed in dark green, light green and pink, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012.92.695

Nude Women with a Child in the Forest

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1925 · color woodcut printed in dark green, light green and pink ·  Accession ID  2012.92.695

Printed with thick, bold outlines and areas of flat black against cream-white paper, a nude woman bends at the waist against what could be a bed in this stylized, square woodcut print. The woman’s form is loosely outlined so details are indistinct, but she seems to rest her face on one bent forearm, braced on the surface across which she lies. Her body bends at the hips so her toes brush the floor along the bottom edge of the print. Her eye, nose, and lips are boldly outlined and she has small breasts and her groin is delineated. Curving lines in the area around her suggests fabric or a bed. The background above her and the area below her face, along the right edge of the paper, are swallowed in blackness.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Nude Girl, 1906, woodcut printed in black, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012.92.677

Nude Girl

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1906 · woodcut printed in black ·  Accession ID  2012.92.677

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Two Nudes in a Forest, 1925, colored crayon drawing on white wove paper, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012.92.37

Two Nudes in a Forest

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1925 · colored crayon drawing on white wove paper ·  Accession ID  2012.92.37