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Lot 278 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938)
Stepptanz
Closed1 March 2017
Price Realised
GBP 43,750
More Information
Specialist note
This work is listed in the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner archives, Wichtrach/Bern.
The dance is a theme which runs through Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's entire oeuvre as it is one of his favourite subjects. Kirchner went to see all possible dance performances: at the circus, the cabaret and music halls in the Metropolis Berlin, as well as the dancing halls and local farmer dances in Switzerland. And the artist was fascinated by all possible dance formations: couples and groups as well as single dancers.
The watercolour Stepptanz shows a dance group on a small stage. Four dancers, consisting of two couples, are outlined in pencil. Kirchner then placed emphasis on the costumes with the use of colour. The synchronised dance is emphasized by the identical postures of the dancers and their obvious sequencing. This is supported by the lines of the stageboards on which the dancers move as if on a piano keyboard. The speed and liveliness of the movement, which is characteristic of the quilting dance in all its precision, is transported by Kirchner through the multiple overlapping and intersecting lines of the legs.
The dance is a theme which runs through Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's entire oeuvre as it is one of his favourite subjects. Kirchner went to see all possible dance performances: at the circus, the cabaret and music halls in the Metropolis Berlin, as well as the dancing halls and local farmer dances in Switzerland. And the artist was fascinated by all possible dance formations: couples and groups as well as single dancers.
The watercolour Stepptanz shows a dance group on a small stage. Four dancers, consisting of two couples, are outlined in pencil. Kirchner then placed emphasis on the costumes with the use of colour. The synchronised dance is emphasized by the identical postures of the dancers and their obvious sequencing. This is supported by the lines of the stageboards on which the dancers move as if on a piano keyboard. The speed and liveliness of the movement, which is characteristic of the quilting dance in all its precision, is transported by Kirchner through the multiple overlapping and intersecting lines of the legs.