Kyiv Meets the Works of German Expressionists

Kyiv’s Museum of Russian Art, jointly with the Goethe Institute German Cultural Center, opened the exposition, Prints by German Expressionists, representing noted masters of the first half the twentieth century, among them Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Franz Marc, and Paul Klee.

German Ambassador Eberhard Heyken said at the opening ceremony, “Expressionism as an artistic trend spread in Europe, particularly in Germany. The Blue Rider is a title known to every educated German. Besides, the word combination blue rider is a metaphor [in German]. Among the German expressionists a place of honor belongs to Wassily Kandinsky. Now that we are stepping into the next century we await cardinal changes in the arts also. Getting back to the exhibit, we mark a great deal of influence by the black-and-white prints of German expressionists. I would also like to note that he, his face and body, were in the limelight with the graphic artists. I think that this is an extremely important aspect.”

Johannes Ebert, director of the Goethe Institute Cultural Center, noted that the exhibit “is not only very good from the aesthetic point of view, but also as the beginning of a big project aimed at familiarizing the public with German art. This project includes appearances by art critics, demonstration of motion pictures made by German classical expressionist filmmakers. The project will end with a seminar called Expressionism in Cinematography, illustrating the great aesthetic impact of the trend on world film-making. I am very glad that this seminar is organized on the initiative of a Ukrainian film club.”

Remarkably, expressionism was very popular in Ukraine. Many artists at the time realized that the traditional portraying techniques had become obsolete and did not suffice to convey the emotions dictated by life.