Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: A German Master of the Modern Era

Sharon Jordan, Associate Professor, Lehman College, CUNY

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was an artist of contradiction and complexity. His work was indebted as much to the Gothic past as to the arts of Africa and Oceania that significantly informed avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century. In this lecture, Sharon Jordan examines the varied influences and characteristics of Kirchner’s work, including his use of energetic brushwork and bold colors, which coalesced into a distinctive style of Expressionism that has since defined German modernity.

This talk is presented as part of the Fall 2025 Lecture Series, which features a range of scholars with expertise on the art and design of Austria and Germany.

About the Speaker

Sharon Jordan has a Ph.D. in Art History with a specialization in modern German art from the Graduate Center, CUNY. She is an Associate Professor of Art History at Lehman College, CUNY. Her essay “He is a Bridge: The Importance of Friedrich Nietzsche for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner” was included in the Neue Galerie’s Ernst Ludwig Kirchner exhibition catalogue in 2019. Jordan's current research explores the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche on Kirchner alongside other leading German artists of the twentieth century. Her book Two-Steps Ahead of the Century: Jazz and Art explores the influence of ragtime and jazz on leading European and American artists throughout the twentieth century.

LEARN MORE

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Exhibition Catalogue
Edited by Jill Lloyd and Janis Staggs

Staging Nature and Life: The Late Works of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Jens Ferdinand Willumsen
By Anders Ehlers Dam, Uwe Fleckner, Anne Gregersen, Jill Lloyd, Carsten Thau