Lot Essay
Kirchner's set of seven colour woodcuts for Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte is based on the novella by Adelbert von Chamisso, first published in 1814.
Produced in the months before Kirchner entered Dr. Kohnstamm's sanatorium in Königstein near Frankfurt am Main in late November 1915, they are the artist's most profoundly autobiographical statement. In July 1915 Kirchner started military training as an artillery driver but the horrors of the war had such a devastating impact on him that he was discharged from the army suffering a physical and nervous break-down.
Back in his studio and living under the constant threat of a recall, Kirchner produced an astonishing output of work amongst which the Schlemihl woodcuts are remarkable for their striking and richly applied colours as well as their deeply personal subject matter.
In a letter to Gustav Schiefler the artist explains the series in autobiographical terms:
'[Die] Geschichte des Schlemihl...[ist] die Lebensgeschichte des Verfolgungswahnsinnigen, das heisst des Menschen, der durch irgendein Ereignis mit einem Ruck sich seiner unendlichen Kleinheit bewusst wird, zugleich aber die Mittel erkennt, wodurch die Welt im allgemeinen sich über diese Erkenntnis hinwegtäuscht... [Er] ergreift in der in ihm durch den Reichtum um ihn herum geweckten Sehnsucht die ihm dargebotene Gelegenheit, obwohl er weiss, dass er dadurch...seine innerste Eigenart verkauft, und damit sein seeliches Gleichgewicht verliert. Symbolisch ist das ausgedrückt durch den Verkauf des Schattens...' (Letter from Kirchner to Gustav Schiefler, Frauenkirch, 27 July 1919)
Peter Schlemihl, his surname Yiddish for 'Loser', sells his shadow to the devil and is used by Kirchner as a metaphor for his own self-betrayal by volunteering for military service. Although it is unclear whether Kirchner was drafted or not, the artist himself confessed that he volunteered for military service, possibly because he sensed it was inevitable.
Schlemihls Begegnung mit dem Schatten is the seventh and final image of the series. It shows Schlemihl attempting in vain to align his feet with those of the shadow that he had once sold. Likewise Kirchner's attempt to regain his previous life as an artist failed.
For each of the Schlemihl woodcuts Kirchner used two woodblocks, of which one or both is sawn into sections. These were inked with a roller or a brush in different colours. As Kirchner inked and printed all prints himself, each print is unique and represents an experiment in itself. The present impression of Schlemihls Begegnung mit dem Schatten is extremely rare, and is among the artist's finest works based on his wartime experiences.
Produced in the months before Kirchner entered Dr. Kohnstamm's sanatorium in Königstein near Frankfurt am Main in late November 1915, they are the artist's most profoundly autobiographical statement. In July 1915 Kirchner started military training as an artillery driver but the horrors of the war had such a devastating impact on him that he was discharged from the army suffering a physical and nervous break-down.
Back in his studio and living under the constant threat of a recall, Kirchner produced an astonishing output of work amongst which the Schlemihl woodcuts are remarkable for their striking and richly applied colours as well as their deeply personal subject matter.
In a letter to Gustav Schiefler the artist explains the series in autobiographical terms:
'[Die] Geschichte des Schlemihl...[ist] die Lebensgeschichte des Verfolgungswahnsinnigen, das heisst des Menschen, der durch irgendein Ereignis mit einem Ruck sich seiner unendlichen Kleinheit bewusst wird, zugleich aber die Mittel erkennt, wodurch die Welt im allgemeinen sich über diese Erkenntnis hinwegtäuscht... [Er] ergreift in der in ihm durch den Reichtum um ihn herum geweckten Sehnsucht die ihm dargebotene Gelegenheit, obwohl er weiss, dass er dadurch...seine innerste Eigenart verkauft, und damit sein seeliches Gleichgewicht verliert. Symbolisch ist das ausgedrückt durch den Verkauf des Schattens...' (Letter from Kirchner to Gustav Schiefler, Frauenkirch, 27 July 1919)
Peter Schlemihl, his surname Yiddish for 'Loser', sells his shadow to the devil and is used by Kirchner as a metaphor for his own self-betrayal by volunteering for military service. Although it is unclear whether Kirchner was drafted or not, the artist himself confessed that he volunteered for military service, possibly because he sensed it was inevitable.
Schlemihls Begegnung mit dem Schatten is the seventh and final image of the series. It shows Schlemihl attempting in vain to align his feet with those of the shadow that he had once sold. Likewise Kirchner's attempt to regain his previous life as an artist failed.
For each of the Schlemihl woodcuts Kirchner used two woodblocks, of which one or both is sawn into sections. These were inked with a roller or a brush in different colours. As Kirchner inked and printed all prints himself, each print is unique and represents an experiment in itself. The present impression of Schlemihls Begegnung mit dem Schatten is extremely rare, and is among the artist's finest works based on his wartime experiences.