Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Badende in den Dünen (Fehmarn)
Circa 1912
Pencil drawing on chamois-coloured drawing paper. 39 x 46 cm. Framed under glass. Signed 'ELKirchner' (joined) lower left. - Estate inscription 'B Be/Bf 12' verso lower left in ink. - Minimal traces of creasing; brownish stain in lower margin (possibly original).
“In Fehmarn I learned to give form to the unity of humanity and nature”, wrote Kirchner in one of his drafts for a biography (cited in: Karlheinz Gabler, E.L. Kirchner: Zeichnungen, Pastelle, Aquarelle, exhib. cat. Aschaffenburg 1980, p. 124). In “Genius” (1920), written under his pseudonym Louis de Marsalle, he later formulated some fundamental points regarding his drawing: “If you wish to clearly understand Kirchner's particular manner of representation, his forms and his composition, it is best to take a look at his drawings [...] If you have absorbed them the way that one reads a cherished letter or a treasured book, you will imperceptibly develop a feeling for the key to this hieroglyphic script. Kirchner draws like other people write.” (cited in: Lucius Grisebach, Kirchners “Hieroglyphe”, in: exhib. cat. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Aquarelle und Zeichnungen, Die Sammlung Karlheinz Gabler, Munich 1999, p. 32).
The fine sheet here shows Kirchner's graphic art indubitably at its peak.
Certificate
This work is documented in the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive, Wichtrach/Bern.
Provenance
From the artist's estate; Rhenish private collection (1986); Lempertz Cologne, Auction 943, 28.5.2009, lot 100; private collection, Rhineland