532 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880, Aschaffenburg – Frauenkirch/Davos, 1938)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880, Aschaffenburg – Frauenkirch/Davos, 1938) Junkerboden Woodcut on brownish vellum. (1918). Approx. 36.5 x 40.5 cm (sheet size approx. 42 x 47 cm). One of only two known prints of this state to date. Signed lower right and marked “Handdruck” lower left (barely legible). Very rare. Gercken 914, I (of III); this copy is not mentioned there. We thank Professor Dr. Günther Gercken, Lütjensee, for his helpful guidance in cataloging this work. • An important testament to the artist’s new beginning in the Swiss mountains beginning in 1918 • A radically modern and powerfully abstract depiction of the Alpine landscape, entirely devoid of romantic pathos • Rare hand-printed copy with the character of a unique piece Following a serious health crisis, Kirchner moved permanently to the Swiss mountains in 1918, where he rented the farmhouse “In den Lärchen” in Frauenkirch near Davos. The idyllic Junkerboden high plateau below the Stafelalp, where he stayed during the summer of 1918, served as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for him. He depicted the grandeur of the Alps—entirely without romantic pathos—in powerful, often highly abstract forms and using various techniques. Kirchner strictly rejected professional printers and usually produced his woodcuts by hand in extremely small editions, deliberately using the grain and irregularities of the woodblock as design elements. The artist uses uneven ink application, hand-carved marks, and varying ink density as means of emotional expression. Thus, each print becomes a unique work. Provenance: Paul G. Lutzeier (1909–1975), Detroit, Ann Arbor, Michigan (acquired in Germany while working for the U.S. Military Government in Berlin from 1946 to 1953); Manuel Bilsky, Ann Arbor; Private collection, USA, acquired from the above in the 1970s; Private collection, USA, inherited from the above. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).