German expressionism: documents from the end of the Wilhelmine Empire to the rise of national socialism

410 Pages·1993·23.783 MB·English

by  Rose-Carol Washton Long

Documents from the
End of theWilhelmine
Empire to the Rise of -
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GERMAN
EXPRESSIONISM
Documents from the End of
the Wilhelmine Empire to
the Rise of National Socialism
THE DOCUMENTS OF TWENTIETH CENTURY ART
General Editor, Jack Flam
Founding Editor, Robert Motherwell
Titles in the series available from University of California Press:
Flight Out of Time: A Dada Diary by Hugo Bali
John Elderfield
Art As Art: The Selected Writings of Ad Reinhardt
Barbara Rose
Memoirs of a Dada Drummer
Richard Huelsenbeck
German Expressionism: Documents from the End of the Wilhelmine Empire
to the Rise of National Socialism
Rose-Carol Washton Long
Matisse on Art: Revised Edition
Jack Flam
Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings
Foreword by Jack Flam
Pop Art: A Critical History
Steven Henry Madoff
Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell
Stephanie Terenzio
Conversations with Cézanne
Michael Doran
GERMAN
EXPRESSIONISM
Documents from the End of
the Wilhelmine Empire to
the Rise of National Socialism
Edited and annotated by Rose-Carol Washton Long
With the assistance of Ida Katherine Rigby
and contributions by
Stephanie Barron, Rosemarie Haag Bletter, and Peter Chametzky
Translations from the German edited by Nancy Roth
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley - LosAngeles - London
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
Copyright © 1993 by G. K. Hall & Company
All rights reserved. No part of this-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Reprinted by arrangement with Twayne Publishers,
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster Macmillan
First Paperback Printing 1995
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
German expressionism : documents from the end of the Wilhelmine Empire
to the rise of national socialism / edited and annotated by Rose-
Caro] Washton Long with the assistance of Ida Katherine Rigby ;
with contributions by Stephanie Barron, Rosemarie Haag Bletier, and
Peter Chametzky ; translations from the German edited by Nancy Roth.
p. cm.—Originally published New York : G. K. Hall: Toronto:
Maxwell Macmillan Canada ; New York : Macmillan International.
Includes bibliographical references and index. (The Documents of twentieth
century art)
ISBN 978-0-520-20264- 1
1. Expressionism (Art)—Germany—Sources. 2. Art, German—Sources.
3. Art, Modern—20th century—Germany—Sources. I. Long, Rose-
Carol Washton. II. Rigby, Ida Katherine. III. Barron, Stephanie.
IV. Series.
N6868.E9G37 1995 95-30730
709’ .43'09041 —dc20 CIP
Printed in the United States of America
08
MO 2 3 4 we FF
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/ NISO
Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
CONTENTS
Illustrations
Photo Credits
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE: Early Manifestations
I First Identifiers
Introduction
ibs Carl Vinnen, ‘‘Quonsque Tandem,” from A Protest of
German Artists, 1911
Z Wilhelm Worringer, ‘The Historical Development of
Modern Art,” The Struggle for Art: The Answer to the ‘Protest
of German Artists,” 1911
3: Paul Ferdinand Schmidt, “The Expressionists,’” Der Sturm,
1912
4. Richart Reiche, “Foreword,” International Exhibition of the
Sonderbund, Cologne, 1912
5: Max Deri, ““Cubists and Expressionism,” Pan, 1912
Il The Brticke
Introduction
6. E. L. Kirchner: program of the artist group, Briicke, 1906;
“Chronicle of the Briicke,” 1913; letter to Erich Heckel and
Max Pechstein, March 31, 1910; letters to Gustav Schiefler,
June 27, 1911 and March 16, 1913
. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, postcard to Cuno Amiet, January 8,
1909, and letter to Gustav Schiefler, ca. 1913
. Erich Heckel letters to Franz Marc, Spring 1912 to Winter
1912/13
. Max Pechstein (transcribed by W. Heymann), “What Is
Picasso Up To?”, Pan, 1912
Ill Neue Kiinstler Vereinigung Munchen and the Blaue Reiter
Introduction
10. Wassily Kandinsky, “Foreword,” Neue Kunstler
Vereinigung exhibition catalogue, 1909-10, and untitled
essay, The Struggle for Art: The Answer to the “Protest of
38
German Artists’, 1911
it. Kubin-Kandinsky letters, May 5, 1910, and August 13;
Al
1911
12, Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, preface (not printed),
ca. October 1911, for the Blaue Reiter almanac; and Franz
CONTENTS
Marc, subscription prospectus, January 1912, for the Blaue
Reiter almanac
13. Franz Marc letter to Reinhard Piper, April 20, 1910, and to
Wassily Kandinsky, October 5, 1912 48
14. Paul Klee, “Exhibition of the Modern League in the Zurich
Kunsthaus,” Die Alpen, 1912
IV Der Sturm
Introduction 55:
15. Herwarth Walden, “Introduction,” First German Autumn
Salon, 1913, and letter from August Macke, April 21, 1913 56
16. Adolf Behne, “German Expressionists, Lecture for the
Opening of the New Sturm Exhibition,” Der Sturm, 1914
17. [Rudolf Blumner], from Der Sturm: An Introduction, 1917 os
Notes Part One 67
PART TWO: The Expansion of Expressionism
J German Criticism through World War I
Introduction
18. Ludwig Rubiner, ‘Painters Build Barricades,’”’ Die Aktion,
1914
19. Paul Fechter, from Der Expressionismus, 1914
20. Theodor Daubler, “Expressionism,” Der neue Standpunkt,
1916
21. Hermann Bahr, from Expressionismus, 1916
22. G. F. Hartlaub, “Art and the New Gnosis,” Das Kunstblatt,
1917
Il Painting
Introduction
23. Essays by Franz Marc and Max Beckmann in Pan, 1912
24. Ludwig Meidner, “An Introduction to Painting the
Metropolis,” Kunst und Kiinstler, 1914
25. Johannes Molzahn, ‘The Manifesto of Absolute
Expressionism,” Der Sturm, 1919
Il Sculpture by Stephanie Barron
Introduction
26. Ernst Barlach, excerpts from letters and diary, 1911-15
27. Carl Einstein, from Negerplastik, 1915
vi
CONTENTS
2%. (Rudolf Blamner], “Expressionist Sculpture,” 1917, and
Oswald Herzog, “Abstract Expressionism,” Der Sturm,
1919 116
2. L. de Marsalle [E. L. Kirchner], “On the Sculpture of E. L-
Kirchner,” Der Cicerone, 1925 119
IV Expressionist Architecture by Rosemarie Haag Bletter
Introduction 122
W. Bruno Taut, “A Necessity,” Der Sturm, 1914 123
31. Paul Scheerbart, from Glass Architecture, 1914 126
32. Bruno Taut, from Alpine Architecture, 1919 129
33. Erich Mendelsohn, letter to Luise Mendelsohn, August
26, 1917, and extract from Arbeitsrat lecture, “The
Problem of a New Architecture,” 1919 132
34. From the Glass Chain letters: Bruno Taut, November24 ,
1919; Paul Goesch, May 1920; Wenzil Hablik, July 22, 1920 135
VY Printbym Idaa Kkathierinne gRig by
Introduction 140
35. Gustav Hartlaub, from The New German Print, 1920 141
%. L. de Marsalle [E. L. Kirchner], “On Kirchner's Prints,”
144
Genus, 1921
37. Paul Westheaim, “Kokoschka‘s Prints,” Das graphische
147
Jar, 1919
3. Rosa Schapire, “Schmidt-Kottluff's Religious Woodcuts,”
149
Die Rote Erde, 1919
39. Paul F. Schmidt, “Max Beckmann’s Hell,” Der Cicerone,
151
192)
14
Notes Part Two
PART THREE: War, Revolution, and Expressionism
| The War Experience by Ida Katherine Rigby
161
Introduction
49. Franz Marc, letters from the front, 1914-15 162
41. Kathe Kollwitz, letter and diary entries, 1914, 1916, 1917,
14
1920, 1922
Felmumiiller,” Menschen, 1918 164
43. Ludwig Meidner, “Hymn of Brotherly Love,” from
170
Septenter—Cry, 19D)
CONTENTS
II Critics Artists and the Revolution by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction 173
44. Ludwig Meidner, “To All Artists, Musicians, Poets,’” Das
Kunstblatt, 1919 174
45. Herbert Kiihn, “Expressionism and Socialism,” Neue
Blatter fiir Kunst und Dichtung, 1919 176
46. Kurt Eisner, ‘The Socialist Nation and the Artist,” An alle
Kiinstler!, 1919 i793
47. Georg Tappert, letter to Franz Pfemfert, November 23,
1918 181
48. Editorial, Menschen, 1919 184
49. Kathe Kollwitz, diary entries, 1918, 1919, 1920 185
50. Hans Friedeberger, ‘The Artists’ Posters of the
Revolutionary Days,’”’ Das Plakat, 1919 188
Il Arbeitsrat fiir Kunst
Introduction 191
i [Bruno Taut], Arbeitsrat fiir Kunst program, 1918 and
Bruno Taut, from An Architecture Program, 1919 192
Be. Walter Gropius, ‘Architecture in a Free Republic,” 1919;
letters, to Dr. Walter Rathenau, February 23, 1919, to
Ludwig Meidner, February 26, 1919; speech to the
membership meeting of the Arbeitsrat, March 22, 1919 197
O38: Adolf Behne: “Unknown Architects,” Sozialistische
Monatshefte, 1919; ‘General Announcement” from the flyer
for the periodical Bauen, 1919 201
Questions from YES! Voices of the Arbeitsrat fiir Kunst, and
excerpts from the responses of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and
Georg Tappert, 1919 206
IV Novembergruppe by Ida Katherine Rigby
Introduction 210
O05: Draft of the manifesto of the Novembergruppe, 1918;
circular letter, 1918; guidelines, 1919 211
56. Max Pechstein, “What We Want,” An alle Kiinstler!, 1919 214
Ose Peter Leu, Guide to the Novembergruppe Art Exhibition,
1920 216
58. “Open Letter to the Novembergruppe,” 1920-21 219
Dresden Secession Gruppe 1919 by Peter Chametzky
Introduction 222
Se “Regulations,” Dresden Secession, 1919 and statement of
purpose, 1919 223
Viii