Leuchtturm hinter Bucht (Lighthouse behind Dune) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Dear Friends,

Fehmarn, a small island in the Baltic Sea, was both a haven and creative catalyst for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938). During his visits in the summers of 1908, 1912, 1913, and 1914, he painted bright landscapes and nude bathers, which stand in contrast to his bustling Berlin street scenes from the same period, with their angular compositions, heavy outlines, and a vaguely menacing quality.

During his second summer on Fehmarn, Kirchner stayed with the Lüthmann family, keepers of the Staberhuk lighthouse on the island’s southeast side. Leuchtturm hinter Bucht (Lighthouse behind Dune), 1912, most likely depicts the Staberhuk lighthouse—its squat height and distinctive red cupola and gallery may be recognized in Kirchner’s painting. When the painting was first exhibited at Hans Goltz’s Galerie Neue Kunst in 1916, the accompanying exhibition catalogue listed its title as Bucht beim Leuchtfeuer Staberhuk (Bay at Staberhuk Lighthouse).

In a letter Kirchner wrote to the art collector and historian Gustav Schiefler, he said of Fehmarn that he “painted pictures there of absolute maturity” and praised the “ochre, blue, green” of its shores. Indeed, the artist created many significant paintings of its rich landscape, including Walking into the Sea (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart), 1912, and Landscape with Chestnut Tree (Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum), 1913. Kirchner's deep appreciation for Fehmarn comes through clearly in Leuchtturm hinter Bucht, with its warm tones, soft brushwork, and sense of serenity. The island likely served as a respite from life in Berlin, his “earthly paradise” in a world coming undone.

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