Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born in 1880 in Bavaria. He studied architecture in Dresden, Germany, but had always been very interested in painting. In 1905 he decided to leave architecture behind and pursue a career in art. In doing this he and other artist created a group called Die Brucke, which translates to “The Bridge.” In 1911 him and the group, Die Brucke, Moved from Dresden to Berlin. They found inspiration in “Primitive” art. He was drafted during World War I, and he was discharged in 1915 due to a nervous break down. He moved to Switzerland in 1917 to recover, and he spent some time in a mental institution. He stayed in Switzerland until he committed suicide in 1937. Though his life his focus was painting, in which he depicted many figures that looked elongated and slightly deformed. He also worked with woodblock printing and sculpture.

Potsdamer Platz (1914)