Lyonel Feininger combined influences from different art movements to find a style all his own. In this video, discover how Feininger’s work combines elements of Cubism and Italian Futurism, abstract form and function from the Bauhaus, and an expressive use of colour from his involvement with Die Brucke and Die Blaue Vier. Feininger’s instantly recognisable style is clearly visible in the dramatic interplay of light and shadow displayed in ‘Zottelstedt II’ from 1927.
Lyonel Charles Feininger (1871 – 1956) was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist. He was born and grew up in New York City, traveling to Germany at 16 to study and perfect his art.