Who Is Lyonel Feininger Self Portrait?

Lyonel Feininger Self Portrait is oil on canvas painting. The painting is an image of Lyonel Feininger. Lyonel painted the Self Portrait in 1915 during the world war. The painting is a part of the modern art time period. In the paper I will attempt to place Lyonel Feininger Self Portrait into its cultural context. Lyonel Feininger is a German-American artist, who was born and Raised in New York. Both of lyonel parent were German musicians, expecting their son lyonel to become a concert violinist. Lyonel decided to go to art school instead. At the age of 16 Lyonel decided to move to Germany to better study and practice art. In Germany Lyonel worked as a comic strip artist and a cartoonist. He then moved back into Berlin after the company he
had been working for had laid him off.
, because it was closing. At the age of 36 Lyonel had declared himself as an independent artist, breaking away from the comic strip art and the cartoon art. Lyonel married his Jewish wife Clara in 1901. When the world war had begun Lyonel had refused to give up his American citizenship. Lyonel left Germany and fled back to America not only because he refused to give up his American citizenship, but because he was married to a Jew which was shamed during the world war. The German expressionist movement was another cause of him leaving Germany, Lyonel started to abandon painting because it was becoming difficult to be seen as a good painter during this time period. In the image Lyonel Feininger has giving himself what one would see as alien features. He painted his self with sharp eyes that are green in color. This is because Lyonel was treated so poorly when the Nazis had come into power. The alien features also
symbolize Lyonel being an illegal alien in Germany. In the painting lyonel is standing in a dark area that can be identified as a room or a cave. This also has something to do with lyonel beaning treated poorly because of his marriage and his American citizenship. In the image Lyonel Feininger face expression sets a mood, Lyonel Feininger was known for his amazing cartoon and comic strip art.
“He was named Form Master of the Bauhaus in charge of the Graphics and Print Shop”. He was paid well and was treated like a person of statues would be. However when the Nazis took power he was treated poorly. In the image Lyonel Feininger painted himself like a common man or a hard worker would look. He painted himself with long hair. A muscular neck and a dirty area on his body. Lyonel Feininger’s art would not require him to look raggedy. However when the Nazis took power he was treated like a lesser paid individual. Lyonel Feininger job also wouldn’t have required him to be in the dark environment that he depicted himself in. However when the war began, he felt like a fugitive in Berlin, Germany. He showed himself Lyonel Feininger was facing a lot of troubles when Self Portrait was painted. The Nazis were treating him poorly not only because he refused to give up his American citizenship. He was also married to a Jew, and Jews were looked down on. Lyonel showed all of his troubles in this painting of
himself. When the world war started the Nazi party viewed Lyonel Feininger and his art a disrespectful and degrading. His reputation was slandered and he was no longer a powerful artist that he once was. Lyonel Feininger was forced to move back to America by the Nazis hate. This could also be the cause of Lyonel Feininger painting the mood and the setting that he chose to paint himself in. The dark cave that lyonel painted himself in symbolized the dark part of the situation he was in. However if you looking outside the atmosphere looked appealing symbolizing the American dream ,that non-Americans believed America was like during that time period. Lyonel painted himself looking into the darkness as if he were looking back at some he was leaving, potentially Germany. This connects his painting with the culture of his time because he depicts himself as the Germans and the Nazis saw him. Lyonel Feininger had several distinctive marks that can distinguish his paintings from others. “Feininger is loved for his lighthearted subject matter. He was a superb caricaturist and a master of distortion and exaggerated proportions. He is known for his worm's eye perspective from below. He contrasts tall and tiny figures against imposing backdrops.” These characteristics are shown in his self-portrait. He painted his eyes an illuminating green. The scenery is also large compared to the size of the head, the implied space outside of the arches are painted with bright colors. This is a contrast to the darker insides of the facility that he is in. During the modern time period of art Cubism had become a popular thing for artist to paint. “Cubism was one of the first truly modern movements to emerge in art. It evolved during a period of heroic and rapid innovation between Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.” Lyonel used cubism in Self Portrait when he painted his face. When one would look at the painting they can see two different perspectives of the man’s face. One could see the face as looking directly at them. One could also see the face as looking right toward the edge of the canvas. Lyonel Feininger’s Self Portrait was painted in the middle of the modern art time period which started in 1860. When the modern art time period begin it was looked down on. The idea of giving art value wasn’t popular. Lyonel’s Self Portriat had a personal meaning behind it. It also depicted how others, who were in similar situations, would have felt at that time. To some who were in denial this was outrageous. This is also a reason why the Nazis started to disapprove of his artwork. This is also known as the German expressionist movement. The German expressionist movement was when artist started to paint differently. The German expressionist was also a cause of Lyonel Feininger moving back to America simply because his art was distasteful to some Germans. While Lyonel Feininger Self Portrait was a part of the modern art time period. It was painted in the middle of the time period. Lyonel’s Self Portrait influenced by earlier works of art and artist. In the painting Lyonel painted one gothic arch and a half of another gothic arch in the painting. Gothic arches are arches with points on the top. The purpose of the gothic arch was to allow light into places that would usually be dark. Lyonel used this method in his painting as well. The purpose of the gothic arches in the painting was to allow some implied light into the facility. He also used the gothic arch to give some implied depth to the room by showing the outsides, making it appear further.