Ernest Kirchner's Streetwalkers Paper
Ernst Kirchner’s Streetwalkers: Art, Luxury, and Immorality in Berlin Response
Sherwin Simmons starts the article, Ernst Kirchner’s Streetwalkers: Art, Luxury, and Immorality in Berlin, by bringing to the reader’s attention the economic boom in Germany at the start of the 20th century. The middle class citizens of Germany along with intellectuals worried how the increase in art and luxury would affect the social and moral outlook of the German people. Therefore art, luxury, fashion, and sexuality lead to many new laws and regulations during this time. The goal was to protect the youth and control the spread of immorality. This new “love of luxury” was seen as being sexual and not appropriate for children and the average middle class citizen to view in a public space. On the other side, artists such as Ernst Kirchner did not see the harm in expressing their artistic opinion of the new culture, and felt threatened by the censorship that took place during this new era. The author gives many examples of Berlin as a cultural center. The lifestyle that was found in Berlin provided inspiration for artists, playwrights, and prostitutes.
The author argues that Ernst Kirchner’s street scenes contributed to the dialogue about luxury and immorality that was based on art, advertising, and fashion. Kirchner was a part of the artistic group Die Bruke, which consisted of four men who were all expressionists. When Kirchner left the group he went to Berlin and his friendships dissolved. He became lonely and therefore went out at night and started viewing prostitutes as models. To Kirchner they were more than prostitutes; he viewed them as the icon of the city and felt a strong connection with them. Simmons takes on this stance by going in to detail when discussing and describing each facet of the artwork being produced in this time period. Kirchner’s inspiration to produce the work, many critics viewed as racy, relates back to Georg Simmel’s
Sherwin Simmons starts the article, Ernst Kirchner’s Streetwalkers: Art, Luxury, and Immorality in Berlin, by bringing to the reader’s attention the economic boom in Germany at the start of the 20th century. The middle class citizens of Germany along with intellectuals worried how the increase in art and luxury would affect the social and moral outlook of the German people. Therefore art, luxury, fashion, and sexuality lead to many new laws and regulations during this time. The goal was to protect the youth and control the spread of immorality. This new “love of luxury” was seen as being sexual and not appropriate for children and the average middle class citizen to view in a public space. On the other side, artists such as Ernst Kirchner did not see the harm in expressing their artistic opinion of the new culture, and felt threatened by the censorship that took place during this new era. The author gives many examples of Berlin as a cultural center. The lifestyle that was found in Berlin provided inspiration for artists, playwrights, and prostitutes.
The author argues that Ernst Kirchner’s street scenes contributed to the dialogue about luxury and immorality that was based on art, advertising, and fashion. Kirchner was a part of the artistic group Die Bruke, which consisted of four men who were all expressionists. When Kirchner left the group he went to Berlin and his friendships dissolved. He became lonely and therefore went out at night and started viewing prostitutes as models. To Kirchner they were more than prostitutes; he viewed them as the icon of the city and felt a strong connection with them. Simmons takes on this stance by going in to detail when discussing and describing each facet of the artwork being produced in this time period. Kirchner’s inspiration to produce the work, many critics viewed as racy, relates back to Georg Simmel’s