Panel Discussion
Expressionisms: Germany and the United States
Camp Concert Hall
Modlin Center for the Arts
Richmond, VA

February 12, 2020
6:00-8:00pm
Camp Concert Hall
Modlin Center for the Arts
453 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
Information: 804-289-8276

Panel Discussion
Expressionisms: Germany and the United States

Among the diverse descriptive labels attached to the art of Fritz Ascher, perhaps none is more evocative and distinct than “expressionist.” In the context of visual art, that term has, over the past century and a half, connoted the articulation of strong emotion–through color, brush work, and the aggressive representation of figures and the elements of nature. This discussion will consider ways in which these features, particularly in painting, can explore and have explored embodying emotion and provoking it in the viewer. Also discussed will be the relationships of political identity, the workings of the unconscious mind, and the realm of the spiritual to the work of Ascher and other important artists, before and contemporary with him, both in Europe and the United States

Moderated by
Sarah Eckhardt, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond

With speakers:

Eckhart Gillen, Independent Curator, Berlin
“German and American Expressionism 1914, 1933 and 1941: Franz Marc, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Mark Rothko. Manifestations of National Identity and the Break of Civilization”

Elizabeth Berkowitz, Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow, Rockefeller Archive Center
“Fritz Ascher and Ideological Color in Modern Art”

Ori Z. Soltes, Teaching Professor, Center for Jewish Civilization, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
“Expressionism and Spirituality”

The event is sponsored by the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond and The Fritz Ascher Society. It is co-sponsored by Allianz Partners.