Ludwig Meidner facts for kids

Untitled lithograph by Ludwig Meidner from the book Septemberschrei, 1918, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Ludwig Meidner (born April 18, 1884 – died May 14, 1966) was a German artist. He was a painter and printmaker known for his Expressionism style. Meidner was born in a place called Bernstadt in Silesia. He is famous for his portraits and landscapes. He is especially known for his "apocalyptic" artworks. These pieces showed his visions of big changes coming to Germany before World War I.

Discovering Ludwig Meidner

Early Life and Art School

Ludwig Meidner started learning to be a stonemason. However, he did not finish this training. He then went to art school in Breslau. From 1906 to 1907, he studied painting in Paris. He attended the Académie Julian and Cormon Academies. In Paris, he met and became friends with another artist, Amedeo Modigliani. After his studies, he returned to Berlin. There, he worked as a fashion illustrator. He also painted scenes of the city.

Apocalyptic Landscapes and "Die Pathetiker"

In 1912, Meidner started a new style of painting. These works made him famous. He created a series called "Apocalyptic Landscapes." An example is a drawing from 1914 at the Art Institute of Chicago. These paintings are special because Meidner made them before World War I began. They showed destruction before it happened.

Around this time, Ludwig also helped start an art group. It was called "Die Pathetiker" (The Pathetics). He formed it with Jacob Steirnhardt and Richard Janthur. Their art focused on showing strong emotions. They wanted to create an emotional response in viewers. This goal can be seen in his apocalyptic landscapes. However, their art group broke up after their first show in 1912.

Life During and After World War I

During World War I, Ludwig served in the German army. He worked as a French interpreter. He was also an infantry soldier. After the war, Meidner became interested in Orthodox Judaism. He started creating religious paintings. Many of these were portraits of "prophets." He also painted many self-portraits. These were inspired by the famous artist Rembrandt.

From 1915 to the late 1920s, he painted many portraits. These showed leading writers and poets of the Expressionist and Dada movements. Meidner also started writing more himself. He wrote several books of Expressionist prose. He also wrote many articles for newspapers.

Moving to England and Return to Germany

To escape difficulties because he was Jewish, he moved to Cologne. In 1935, he became an art teacher at the Yawneh Jewish School. In 1939, he and his family fled to England. His wife, Else Meidner, was also an artist. In England, he was held as an enemy alien on the Isle of Man. He stayed in England for many years. He was not well-known and faced poverty.

In 1953, he returned to Germany. Even though his time in exile was hard, he created many unique artworks. These included drawings and watercolors. They showed religious themes, funny scenes, and a series about the Holocaust. In 1963, he had his first big art show since 1918. It was held in Recklinghausen and Berlin. He passed away on May 14, 1966, in Darmstadt. He was 82 years old. Today, Meidner's art collection is kept at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt.

Meidner's Art Styles

Portraits and Cityscapes

Ludwig Meidner painted many portraits during his life. His portraits are known for being a bit distorted. They often have flowing lines. This creates unusual views in the paintings. This style, along with his rough brushstrokes, showed feelings of sadness and worry. Because of this, many people did not want him to paint their portraits. However, some Expressionist writers, like Johannes R. Becher and Max Herrmann-Neisse, did have their portraits painted by Meidner.

Besides portraits, Ludwig also painted many landscapes of Berlin. These are often called "apocalyptic" because of their style. However, only one painting directly uses the word "apocalypse" in its title. Some people think these paintings predicted World War I. Others see them as showing the busy and chaotic feeling of city life. He painted this series quickly during a heatwave. Many consider them pure examples of "Expressionist" art. In these paintings, comets fly across the sky like bombs. Fires burn, people scream and run, and buildings look like they are about to fall. Meidner never again reached the same level of intensity in his apocalyptic landscapes.

Powerful Printmaking

Ludwig made most of his prints using special methods. These included hard ground etchings, lithographs, and dry point. He continued to create portraits in his prints. Examples include a lithograph of Theodor Dauber and an etching of Johannes Becher. These prints looked similar to his painted portraits.

He also created a series of eight lithographs called "Krieg" (which means "War" in German). These different prints show scenes of battle, death, bombs, guns, and overall destruction. He made them around the start of World War I. He wanted to protest the war and show its terrible results. These prints show Ludwig's strong anti-war political views. They also show his connection to the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

Meidner as a Writer

Besides being a visual artist, Meidner was also a writer. He wrote poetry and stories. He mostly wrote poems. He also wrote one short story and three books. These books were "Gang in die Stile" (1929), "Septemberschrei" (1920), and "Im Nacken das Sternemeer" (1918). None of his books became very popular. Meidner wrote most of his poetry during World War I. He did not have much time or supplies to paint or make prints then. Most of his writing has a dark tone. It tells eerie stories from his view of the world. However, Meidner's writing never became as popular as his art did with the Expressionists.

See also

In Spanish: Ludwig Meidner para niños