Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966) – Two Figures, 1924 – Charcoal on Paper

Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966) – Two Figures, 1924 – Charcoal on Paper
Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966), two figures (biblical scene), 1924.
Charcoal on paper. Signed ("L.M.") and dated. Stamped on verso with the artist's estate stamp ("Nachlass Ludwig Meidner").
An additional sketch on verso (not signed) – self-portrait.
Sheet: approx. 79X55 cm. Matted. Good condition. Several small tears and holes to margins. Tape on verso. Stains to verso. Stains to mat.
Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966), Jewish painter and author, a prominent figure in the German Expressionist movement. Meidner studied art at the Breslau Academy and later in Paris. In 1907 he settled in Berlin. Around 1911, when he became more familiar with the circles of Avant-garde artists and poets in Berlin, Meidner started to paint expressionist portraits (including numerous self-portraits) and urban landscapes. The landscapes, mostly depicting the destruction of a city, represent the atmosphere in Germany prior to World War I and are a result of Meidner's interest in Biblical prophets and the end of days prophecies. These landscapes, named "Apocalyptic Landscapes" granted Meidner his reputation.
In 1912, Meidner founded, together with Jacob Steinhardt, the art group Die Pathetiker. In 1913-1914 he lived in Dresden, where he created a series of lithographs entitled "The War". In 1916 Meidner was drafted into the German army and served as an interpreter in a prisoners of war camp. During his military service he began to write. In ca.1923, Meidner moved away from the expressionist style and started working in a more naturalistic style, at the same time growing more religious. In the following years his art was mainly characterized by biblical and Jewish motifs. In the 1933 Nazi Book Burning, all of Meidner writings were burnt. His name was later added to the list of "degenerate artists" and his works were exhibited in the Nazi exhibition "Degenerate Art". In 1935-1939 Meidner taught in a Jewish school in Cologne and later fled to London with his family.
During his time in London, Meidner's work went mostly unrecognized. In 1953 he returned to Germany, and in 1963 had his first significant exhibition since 1918 in Berlin. Meidner died in 1966 at the age of 82.