Erich Heckel

Happy Birthday Erich Heckel!! Born in Germany in 1883, Erich Heckel was a member of Die Brucke (The Bridge). Die Brucke was a group of artists led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner who were attempting to “bridge” from provincial Dresden to cosmopolitan Paris. They wished to reveal to the world a new vision of art using flat, bright colors and dark outlining, described by some as clumsy. One member stated, “We no longer paint for the sake of art, but for the sake of people.” The group later moved from Dresden to Berlin, which had become an intellectual capital of Northern Europe. The group was especially interested in woodcuts and lithographs. Their subject matter revolved around the seedy side of nightlife as well as the healing open air of mountains and beaches.