Regler Church, Erfurt, By Lyonel Feininger

Modernism was a time when the definition of what was considered art drastically changed. A piece of art used to relate to how realistic that piece looked. Now art can be anything and could be distorted from reality to express a message. One artist at that time was Lyonel Feininger. Feininger was inspired by the Gothic style and his first trip to Germany in 1906 led to paintings of two medieval churches(“Regler Church, Erfurt.”). Lyonel first made a charcoal drawing of Regler Church in Erfurt Germany in 1924(“Regler Church, Erfurt.”). His large and only painting of Regler Church was done in 1930(“Regler Church, Erfurt.”). The “Regler Church, Erfurt” by Lyonel Feininger in 1930 was a painting that represented the crisis of realism and cubism tenants of Modernism art.
The “Regler Church, Erfurt” painting by Lyonel Feininger is an example of the crisis of realism.
The contrast in the colors of the church to the surrounded sky specifically the white color and brightness on the right can show this idea of spirituality relating to this church. The white area of this painting contrasts with the sky and gives this idea of pure and innocents are relatable to this church. The bottom of the church is dark, rigid, and abstract compared to the top of the church which looks to have more light and be more detailed. The darkness at the bottom could be portrayed as the idea of darkness surround the church and the city. This could mean that for many it’s a difficult time and that the innocent and thought of all good could only be seen to exist within this building. The lightness and details on the top of the church could portray the idea that this innocence and spirituality only being partially visible within this church or the people who attend this church. The distorted reality is what allows “Regler Church, Erfurt” to be an example of the modernism characteristic of the crisis of
reality. Cubism is another characteristic of modernism. Cubism is art that is in more distinct shapes with straight lines. The shapes and colors of the church allows for a visible image of a church shape. This allows for the image to still be visible for church. The shapes visible on top of the image could represent the order that must be visible. This idea of order that surrounds this church could be the everyday lives. The brown that surrounds the sky could represent future of this area with the influence of the church. The lighter images in the background could show how other areas around this church are irrelevant. The shapes can make this image look blurred. So this could make the idea that the church is an area that could be not fully understood. Cubism is another characteristic in modernism that is visible in the “Regler Church, Erfurt” by Lyonel Feininger. The “Regler Church, Erfurt” by Lyonel Feininger is an example of modernism art. Two of the characteristic is the cubism style and the crisis of reality. The Crisis of Reality showed how the images that inspired these paintings were distorted to express an idea or feeling. The idea of innocents and spirituality can be visible in the painting. The cubism style can show that order and disorder that surrounds that church and Erfurt at the time. Modernism is rebellious to previous standards that art used to have to follow and created a new definition of what art could be. Art can be created from anything and can be used to expressed and portray different designs or way.