Artist Research- Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner has come to be seen as one of the most talented and influential German Expressionists, he was motivated by the same anxieties that gripped the rest of the German society, making him a very relateable artist during the Wiemar Berlin Era.  Kirchner's aim was 'to eschew traditional academic styles and to create a new mode of artistic expression, forming a "bridge" between classical motifs of the past and the present avant-garde'.  He created his work through using crude lines and a vibrant, unnatural colour palette.

This painting really inspired me when thinking about my Stanislavski's Acting Technique posts, especially when thinking about what my character had been doing before my chosen scene.  The lady that Ernst Ludwig has depicted looks very deflated, she looks sad and down.  To me, these are the exact feelings that Sally would have been feeling.  Kirchner has really portrayed these feeling through his style of painting,  he's used a lot of cold, icy blue tones that could suggest her sad feelings.  The lady also isn't looking directly into the camera, which has given me a few idea for the way I could shoot my character.  As I am aiming to create a insecure, naive version of Sally, when photographing my final looks I could get my model to look away from the camera,  almost giving the idea she can't face the idea of talking about her actions yet. 

Another angle I was thinking of, was to have my model with her hands on her face, looking to the floor with tears running down her face.  Her hands would be placed on her cheeks so that you can still see her eye and lips, the main and most important features of Sally Bowles character. 

Image References:

Image 1: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Ludwig_Kirchner. [Accessed 23 October 2014].

Image 2: The "degenerate" work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 1880-1938. [ONLINE] Available at: http://bjws.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/nazi-impact-on-ernst-ludwig-kirchner.html. [Accessed 23 October 2014].