Art: Street, Berlin Flashcards
When did Kirchner make a lot of significant artworks about Berlin, what were they, and what subject matter did they focus on?
1913-1915, 7 major works in oil on canvas, dealing with the dehumanizing relationship between female prostitutes and the men that are their potential clients
What vantage point is Street, Berlin from?
As if we were standing in the middle of the sidewalk
How many men are in the far distance, and what are all the men wearing?
5, and they’re all wearing nearly identical black overcoats and black hats.
What object separates the two groups of men, and what is visible of it?
The headlights and front wheels of a car are visible, and it separates the groups.
What has one man stopped to do, and how many men are behind him?
Look in a shop window; 4 other men appear behind him.
What are the men’s faces like?
Peach blotches with slashes of black where their features should be.
Where are the women standing, and how are they shown?
They are in the center and left foreground, and they are shown in motion.
Do the women appear disconnected from each other? Do the men?
The women are joined together by a conspiratorial glance, but the men are just haphazardly thrown together.
What are the women wearing?
The woman on the left has a dark purple dress with a white fur collar, and her auburn hair is covered by an elaborate feathered hat. The woman on the right has a dark blue and black coat with a similar collar, and a black hat. Both are very fashionable.
What are the women?
Prostitutes
What does Kirchner’s painting represent?
The ambivalence of modern, urban life, beneath which there is a lack of genuine human connection.
What other colors appear in the painting?
The sidewalk is pink and red, and a vivid green frames the image.
