Christus am Kreuz

Lovis Corinth prints span the long career of one of Germany's most powerful painters, whose work moved from careful realism to the vivid, expressive brushwork of his last years. Corinth led the Berlin Secession, painted a self-portrait almost every birthday, and found late joy in the mountain lake of Walchensee. Our collection of fine art prints includes his Walchensee landscapes, portraits, flower pieces, nudes, biblical scenes and many etchings and lithographs.

About Lovis Corinth

Corinth was born Franz Heinrich Louis on 21 July 1858 in Tapiau, East Prussia, the son of a tanner. He studied at the Königsberg academy from 1876 and in 1880 moved to Munich, where he trained under Ludwig von Löfftz. After seeing Rubens in Antwerp he went to Paris in 1884 to study at the Académie Julian under William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. Back in Königsberg in 1888 he took the name Lovis Corinth.

He joined the Munich Secession in 1892 and moved to Berlin in 1900. In 1902 he opened a painting school for women and married his first student, Charlotte Berend, who became his muse and the mother of his two children. Family life became a major theme of his art.

In December 1911 a stroke left him partly paralysed on his left side. Within a year he was painting again, and his style became freer, brighter and more expressive. From 1915 to 1925 he was President of the Berlin Secession. He bought a house at the Walchensee in the Bavarian Alps, and the lake became the great subject of his last years. He died of pneumonia in Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, on 17 July 1925. In 1937 the Nazis removed 295 of his works from German public collections as "degenerate".

Style and Subjects

Corinth's early paintings are solid and realistic, built on close observation of colour and tone. After 1911 the brushwork becomes thick, quick and urgent, with bold colour laid on in slashing strokes, joining the lessons of Impressionism to the intensity of Expressionism.

His subjects range widely: self-portraits in costume, portraits of his wife and friends, nudes, still lifes of lilacs and roses, biblical and mythological scenes, and the Walchensee seen from his balcony in every season. He was also a prolific printmaker, making more than 900 prints in his last fifteen years.

Famous Works

• Innocentia (1890), Lenbachhaus, Munich. An early figure painting from his Munich years.
• Susanna in the Bath (1890), Museum Folkwang, Essen. The Old Testament heroine painted with frank realism.
• Self-Portrait with Skeleton (1896), Lenbachhaus, Munich. The artist stands beside a skeleton in his Munich studio.
• Self-Portrait with his Wife and a Glass of Sekt (1902). Corinth and Charlotte Berend celebrating together.
• The Blinded Samson (1912), Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin. Painted after his stroke, with the artist in the guise of Samson.
• Large Walchensee Landscape (1923). The mountain lake in bright, sweeping colour, from his celebrated late series.
• Carmencita (1924), Städel Museum, Frankfurt. Charlotte Berend-Corinth in Spanish dress.

Decorating with Corinth Prints

The Walchensee landscapes are the easiest Corinth to live with: their blues, greens and sunlit hills suit living rooms, bedrooms and any space with a view of its own. A print such as Walchensee works well in a modern room with white walls and a simple frame.

His flower pieces, such as Flieder im Kelchglas, bring colour to a kitchen or dining room. The self-portraits, etchings and biblical scenes are stronger stuff, best in a study, library or hallway where their energy has room to breathe.

FAQ

What art movement was Lovis Corinth part of?

Corinth's mature work joins Impressionism and Expressionism. He was a leading member of the Berlin Secession and its president from 1915 to 1925.

What are Lovis Corinth's most famous works?

His Walchensee landscapes of 1919 to 1925 are often seen as his best work. Self-Portrait with Skeleton and The Blinded Samson are also widely known.

How did Corinth's stroke change his art?

After his stroke in December 1911 he painted with his right hand and a chronic tremor. His style became looser, his colour more vivid and his subjects more personal.

Why did Lovis Corinth paint so many self-portraits?

He made a habit of painting himself every year on his birthday as a form of self-examination, sometimes in costume as a knight or as Samson.

Where can I see Corinth's paintings?

Major works are in the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Lenbachhaus in Munich, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and the Museum Folkwang in Essen.

Related Artists

• Wilhelm Trübner: Munich realist who influenced his early work
• Max Beckmann: German painter of the next generation who carried on expressive figure painting
• Max Liebermann: the painter he succeeded as president of the Berlin Secession
• Max Slevogt: fellow German painter linked with Impressionism and the Berlin Secession