Lyonel Feininger Paintings

Lyonel Feininger, Gelmeroda VIII, 1921, Whitney Museum of American Art

Lyonel Feininger, Hopfgarten, 1920, Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Lyonel Feininger combined the best elements from the art movements of his time to create his distinctive style.  It is obvious that he was heavily influenced by Cubism, but he melded it with the Futurist's urban subject matter and Orphism's use of color.  His artwork reminds me of broken shards of glass, each translucent piece overlapping another creating a kaleidoscope of shapes and color that form amazing compositions of architecture and seascapes.

Lyonel Feininger, Ships, 1917, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Lyonel Feininger, Harbor Mole, 1913,  Carnegie Museum of Art, PA

Lyonel Feininger, Ober-Weimar, 1921

Lyonel Feininger, Church of the Minorites II, 1926, Walker Art Center

Lyonel Feininger, The Cathedral, 1920,  Columbus Museum of Art

Lyonel Feininger, Gelmeroda III, 1913,  National Galleries of Scotland

Lyonel Feininger, Mid-Ocean, 1937,  Museum of Moritzburg, Germany

Lyonel Feininger, St. Mary's Church with the Arrow, 1930,  Museum of Moritzburg, Germany

Lyonel Feininger, Market Church in Halle, 1930

Lyonel Feininger in his New York City studio, taken by his son Andreas Feininger, 1951,  Time Life Pictures

Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956) was born in New York City in July of 1871.  The son of German musicians, Lyonel was immersed in music and art from a young age.  At 16 he moved to Germany to study music, but soon turned to art.  He began his career as a commercial caricaturist, illustrating both political cartoons and comic strips.  He created his first painting in 1907, but it wasn't until around 1911 that his trademark prismatic style was established.  He was one of the original artists hired by Walter Gropius to teach at the lengendary Bauhaus School, working there as the "Master" of the graphics workshop from 1919-1926.  He returned to NYC in 1936 due to Nazi pressure and continued to paint and teach till his death in 1956.  For a more in-depth look at Lyonel's life and work check out the Weimar blog here.