Erich Heckel, the great German painter, sculptor, & printmaker, was born on July 31, 1883, in Döbeln (Saxony), near Chemnitz. Eric always had a slight inclination towards art. He even formed a debating society, 'Vulkan,' in grammar school with the help of his friends, especially Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. The society discussed anti-bourgeois literature and art theories. The literary works of Nietzsche and Dostojewski inspired Heckel and he would fine-tune this expression, fusing it with his passion to device a completely new language of art.
Erich Heckel studied architecture at the Polytechnic University in Dresden, where he met Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Together with Fritz Bleyl, they founded 'Die Brücke' in 1905. Heckel took charge as the Treasurer and the Secretary of the organization. He worked in the architectural office of Wilhelm Kreis, after leaving his studies.
Erich Heckel was the voice of 'Expressionism' in the modern era. He traveled extensively to explore nature in its purest forms. He spent the summers of 1907 & 1908 at the North Sea Coast in Dangast, and that of 1909 & 1910 at the Moritzburger Lakes. In 1912, Heckel & Kirchner decorated the chapel for the Sonderbund Exhibition, Cologne. In the meantime, more artists, such as Pechstein, Nolde & Mueller, Marc, Macke, and Feininger, had joined Die Brucke. The members of the body interacted well enough in order to encourage each other to perform increasingly better. As a result, this period was artistically, a hugely productive one for all the members. The group tried unifying or 'bridging' the 'German Neo-Romantic' art and the contemporary 'Expressionism.' Soon, however, in 1913, Die Brucke disbanded and Heckel charted his own separate way. He had his first solo show at Gurlitt, Berlin. In June 1916, the artist married Hilda Frieda Georgi.
During the World War II, Erich Heckel though, enrolled for war services, was, however, found unfit. He eventually had to work as a medical orderly. Meanwhile, he kept working on his art and expressed his melancholy & loneliness, using subdued colors. The artist, over the years, had developed a prismatic style of expression with a series of triangular planes. Some of Heckel's finest works were "Weisses Haus in Dangast" (1908), an oil painting, & "Portrait of a Man" (1919), a woodcut. In 1922/23, he painted murals for the Anger-Museum in Erfurt. In 1937, Nazis forbid most of Erich's works, confiscating them from the museums.
In 1944, after the World War II, he moved to Hemmenhofen on the Bodensee. The artist taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe until 1955. Erich was awarded several prizes, such as the 'Kunstpreis' of the city of Berlin (1957), of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (1961), and the 'Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz (1956).' Erich Heckel died on January 27, 1970 at Radolfzell, while staying as one of the Germany's most important artists until date.
Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at