Exploring Early 20th Century German Art: A Quiz on Key Artists and Movements

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was one of the first founders of Der Brucke movement and painted the crowded street of Berlin in 'Potsdamer Platz, 1914'. The painting captures the anxiety of transitioning from rural lands to the dirty and dangerous city environment, with men lurking in the streets. Kirchner was influenced by the works of Edvard Munch.

The correct artist of the painting 'Three Bathing Women' from 1913 is Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, known for his primitivism style and melding of figure and nature.

Wassily Kandinsky was the main person of The Blue Rider art movement, which was a prominent art group in the 20th century. Although The Blue Rider movement included other notable artists, Kandinsky is often credited as the central figure.

Composition VII was painted by Wassily Kandinsky in 1913. The artwork is characterized by a crowded composition, fauvist use of color, some cubist influence, and the belief that art should guide individuals to happiness and common understanding. Color is the most important feature of this progress, with no focal point and the viewer's eyes drawn everywhere. Kandinsky wanted his painting to have the same effect on viewers as music, using a playful approach to color and line.

Max Beckmann created the painting 'Descent from the Cross' in 1917, which was influenced by gothic work from the northern renaissance. The painting depicted extreme suffering and graphic imagery, reflecting the ideas of suffering and pain during the time of war and the black plague.

The correct answer is George Grosz, a German artist known for his satirical and critical portrayal of society. 'A Victim of Society' features a lopsided eye, fake nose and lips, knife in the neck, a question mark on the forehead, symbolizing the themes of confusion and victimization.

The correct answer is Otto Dix, as he is the artist behind The War, 1929-32 which features a unique portrayal of soldiers in a grave instead of the usual patrons in a church altarpiece/triptych.

The correct answer is Kurt Schwitters, as he created the artwork 'Construction for Noble Ladies' in 1919, which was considered too bourgeois for Dadaists.

Kurt Schwitters is the correct answer as he was the artist responsible for the Merzbau, which was his home in Hanover and an immersive total artwork.

Max Ernst created the artwork 'The Hat Makes the Man' in 1920. The artwork features phallic towers and symbolizes the idea that the hat, representing the bourgeois man, makes the man. Ernst drew inspiration from studying art in insane asylums and was associated with the Dada and Surrealist movements.

The correct subject of the painting is Anita Berber, a famous dancer in Berlin known for her nude performances and controversial lifestyle.

Christian Schad is the correct answer as he is the artist behind 'Appendectomy in Geneva, 1929'. The painting is known for its realistic and detailed depiction of a surgery scene, similar to works by Thomas Eakins and Rembrandt. The nurse in blue is noted to resemble Mary holding up Christ, adding a religious symbolism to the composition.

Heinrich Maria Davringhausen painted The Dreamer in 1919, showcasing its colorful, distorted space and depth that deviates from reality, resembling a dream. It falls under the neue sachleikeit/magic realism movement and features a morbid juxtaposition of a creepy happy man and a murdered body on a bed.

The correct artist who painted The Four Elements around 1937 for the Great German Art Exhibition in 1938, with a classical theme and ideal Aryan bodies was Adolf Ziegler.

The correct answer is Rudolf Hermann Eisenmenger, who painted 'Homecoming from the Eastern Front, 1941'. The key characteristics of the painting include the focus on Aryan features, simple-looking men, absence of bourgeois elements, and the depiction of a German landscape. Hence, incorrect answers related to different artists and styles do not align with the details mentioned in the correct response.

The correct answer is Lyonel Feininger. Walter Gropius was the architect and founder of the Bauhaus and issued the manifesto. Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe were also associated with the Bauhaus, but Lyonel Feininger created the specific woodcut in question.

Johannes Itten created Sphere in 7 Light Stages and 12 Tones in 1921 as a painting that highlights the importance of color. Itten taught a class at Bauhaus on color theory, and the painting showcases contrasts of light and dark, saturation, hue, complements, etc. The color system used correlates with the 12 notes of the musical scale.

Josef Albers created the Lattice Picture in 1921, incorporating glass, iron, and copper wire to achieve a weaving-like appearance with a random sequence of colors, emphasizing on the influence of light on color.

Paul Klee is the correct artist of the painting 'Angelus Novus'. The painting showcases his interest in naivete and art by the insane, and is considered one of his most famous works.

Willi Baumeister was a German artist known for his unique style that was influenced by informel/lyrical abstraction and abstract expressionism, with primitive-like forms and almost no human representation in his works during the 1950s.

The correct artist who created the artwork 'Composition in Red and Blue' in 1953 is Fritz Winter, who studied at Bauhaus under Klee and Kandinsky and was influenced by them in his use of color.

Ernst Wilhelm Nay's painting Myth, 1949 was primarily influenced by art informel, Kirchner, Matisse, and other artists from the abstract art movement. These influences led Nay to experiment with color as form and create a dynamic structure with contrasting light and heavy elements, ultimately progressing towards total abstraction.

The correct answer is Sigmar Polke, who created the piece Schokoladenbild in 1964. This artwork focuses on the consumerist culture of West Germany in the 1960s.