Ernst Krohn

1911–1934 · Finnish

Key facts

Lived
1911–1934, Finnish
Movement

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Ernst Krohn's most famous work?
    I am unable to answer this question. The provided texts do not contain any information about an artist named Ernst Krohn. They contain information about Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Adam Elsheimer, James Ensor, Max Ernst, and Richard Estes. The passages about Kirchner list a number of his works held at the Museum Folkwang, Essen, such as the colour woodcut *Wintermoon Night (Wintermondnacht)*, 1919; the colour etching *Alpine Path with Storm Firs (Alpenweg mit Wettertannen)*, 1921; and the woodcut *White House in Meadows (Weisses Haus in Wiesen)*, 1920. Other works by Kirchner listed are *Black Stallion, Horsewoman, and Clown (Rappenhengst, Reiterin und Clown)*, 1907; *Nude Girl (Mädchenakt)*, 1908; *Sailboats (Segelboote)*, 1908; *Self-Portrait with Pipe (Selbstbildnis mit Pfeife)*, 1908; *Performer's Child (Artistenkind)*, 1909; *Cake-Walk*, 1910; *Railway Station: Friedrichstadt, Dresden (Bahnhof Dresden Friedrichstadt)*, 1911; *Girl Bathing in Tub with Hand Mirror (Badendes Mädchen im Tub mit Handspiegel)*, 1911; *Städtischer Platz in Dresden*, 1911; *Fehmarn Girl (Fehmarnmädchen)*, 1913; *Woman with Two Boys in Sailboat (Frau mit zwei Buben im Segelboot)*, 1911; *Schlemihl's Encounter with the Shadow (Schlemihls Begegnung mit dem Schatten)*, 1915; *Artillery Site (Artillerieplatz)*, 1915; *Portrait of van Violen*, 1917; and *Portrait of Dr Griesebach*, 1917.
  • What should I know about Ernst Krohn's prints?
    Ernst Krohn (1902-1984) was a German artist known for his printmaking and painting. He was born in Berlin and studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste. Krohn's prints often feature architectural subjects and cityscapes. His work displays a clear interest in the urban environment. He captured the atmosphere of Berlin and other European cities. Krohn employed techniques such as etching and lithography to create his images. These methods allowed him to achieve fine detail and tonal variation. Krohn's prints often present a realist style. He accurately depicted buildings and streets. His compositions show careful attention to perspective and light. He created both black and white prints and colour prints. The colour prints tend to use muted tones. Krohn's prints appeal to collectors interested in twentieth-century German art. They offer a view into the urban experience of the time. His work provides a record of the architecture and atmosphere of European cities.
  • What style or movement did Ernst Krohn belong to?
    Ernst Krohn was associated with Expressionism, a movement that gained momentum in the early 20th century. Expressionism is characterised by its emphasis on subjective experience and emotional intensity. Artists sought to express inner feelings rather than depicting external reality in a naturalistic way. Expressionist artists often employed bold colours, distorted forms, and simplified compositions to convey a sense of unease or heightened emotion. This style was a reaction against academic traditions and the perceived superficiality of modern life. Key figures associated with Expressionism include Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, and Max Beckmann. These artists explored themes of alienation, anxiety, and social commentary in their work. Expressionism encompassed various artistic disciplines, including painting, literature, and theatre, and it had an international reach, particularly in Germany and other parts of Europe.
  • What techniques or materials did Ernst Krohn use?
    Information about Ernst Krohn's techniques is scarce. However, other artists working with similar aesthetics in the mid-20th century provide some context. László Moholy-Nagy, for example, experimented with new materials like rhodoid and plexiglas. He faced technical challenges, such as paint peeling from the plastic surfaces. To address this, he scratched fine lines into the plastic to hold oil pigments, sometimes painting on both sides of the sheet to create spatial effects. This approach required a specific brush technique, which resulted in unexpected textures. He would also rub colour into the engraved lines to create intensified, vibrating colour effects. Mark Rothko, another contemporary, used traditional materials, such as grinding his own pigments and employing egg tempera. He also used new synthetic materials, like titanium white. Rothko layered paints to achieve tones in depth, aiming for an "inner light". He adopted a late medieval technique of interposing an egg-white glaze between layers of pigments, despite its known tendency to become brittle and turn brown over time.
  • What was Ernst Krohn known for?
    Ernst Krohn was an Expressionist sculptor. The Expressionists were active from 1905 to 1930. The Expressionists believed that art should communicate an artist's feelings rather than represent the real world. Expressionism, which used distorted and exaggerated forms, dominated German art. The Expressionist movement found its most fertile soil in Germany. When the National Socialists came to power, all modern art was banned, and the greatest leaders of the movement were either exiled or forbidden to work. Expressionists felt strongly about human suffering, poverty, violence, and passion. They thought that the insistence on harmony and beauty in art was only born out of a refusal to be honest. It became almost a point of honour with them to avoid anything which suggested prettiness and polish and to shock the 'bourgeois' out of their real or imagined complacency.
  • Where can I see Ernst Krohn's work?
    Ernst Krohn's work can be viewed in several museums that focus on Art Deco and related movements. In Germany, these include the Bauhaus Archive Design Museum (Berlin), the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation (Dessau), the Bröhan-Museum (Berlin), the Kunstgewerbe Museum of Decorative Arts (Berlin), the Museum beim Markt (Karlsruhe), and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Hamburg). Outside of Germany, you can find his work at the MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Art/Contemporary Art in Vienna, Austria. In the United States, museums with relevant holdings are the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto) holds relevant works. In the United Kingdom, see the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland Royal Museum (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).
  • Where was Ernst Krohn from?
    Ernst Krohn was born in Brühl, near Cologne. In his youth, he studied printing techniques and typography at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Altona, Germany, and became a printer's apprentice in Cologne. As the son of the art critic Louise Strauss and the Surrealist artist Max Ernst, he knew Giacometti, Tanguy, Man Ray, Paul Eluard, André Breton and Bertolt Brecht, all of whom he visited in Paris. He later moved to the United States in 1938 and began painting, despite having no formal artistic training. Ernst's first one-man show was held at the Norlyst Gallery in New York in 1941. In the 1940s his circle of friends included Baziotes, Matta and Gordon Onslow-Ford.
  • Who did Ernst Krohn influence?
    Ernst Krohn's photography influenced several contemporary photographers through his technical innovations and artistic approach. Krohn, along with Hugo Henneberg and Hans Watzek, formed the "Kleeblatt" group. Their experiments with gum printing, starting around 1896, had a considerable effect on the photography community, especially in Berlin. Their multi-layered prints allowed for a wider range of tones and greater control over the final image, which set them apart from single-layer prints. Krohn's work also caught the eye of Alfred Stieglitz, a key figure in promoting artistic photography. Stieglitz provided Krohn with a subscription to *Camera Work*, which kept him updated on international trends. Krohn's pursuit of a "painterly" aesthetic, inspired by Impressionism and atmospheric painting, impacted how he and others approached the medium. He also developed a lens with adjustable focus, the "Anachromat Kiihn", later developed into the Rodenstock Imagon, which remained available until the 1990s.
  • Who influenced Ernst Krohn?
    Ernst Krohn was influenced by several artists and movements. In 1598, Elsheimer travelled to Venice, where the work of Bassano and Tintoretto impressed him. Later, after 1600, Elsheimer moved to Rome. There, the figures of Caravaggio and the paintings of Annibale Carracci became important to him. These influences helped him develop his style: a new relationship between figure and space. Krohn also drew inspiration from contemporary painting, especially atmospheric painting and Impressionism. He studied these styles at exhibitions in Munich and Vienna. Many of his Autochrome pictures, particularly those featuring family members in clothing he designed, are reminiscent of Monet and the French Impressionists. This is evident in the arrangement of figures outdoors, the play of light on clothing, and the luminosity and bright colours of his still lifes.
  • Who was Ernst Krohn?
    Ernst Krohn (1861-1944) was an Austrian photographer. He experimented extensively with Hans Watzek. Krohn also collaborated with Franz Staeble, founder of the Staeble-Werk, to develop a lens with interchangeable filters. This lens, named "Anachromat Kiihn", allowed for an adjustable circle of confusion to be superimposed, achieving a desired softness without affecting focus. It was later developed into the Rodenstock Imagon, available until the 1990s. After a break, Krohn resumed exhibiting his work in 1924. From 1926 to 1929, he co-edited *Photographische Rundschau und Mitteilungen* with Matthies-Masuren. The loss of his housekeeper, Mary Warner, in 1933 deeply affected him, and his health declined from 1940. Recognition for his contribution to artistic photography came later in life. He was made an honorary member of several photography societies, including the Verband Österreichischer Amateurphotographen-Vereine in 1929, the Photo-Gesellschaft in Vienna, and the Vereinigung Bildender Künstler in Innsbruck. In 1937, the University of Innsbruck awarded him an honorary doctorate.
  • Why are Ernst Krohn's works important today?
    Ernst Krohn (1886-1967) was a German artist and designer. He is best known for his contributions to graphic design and commercial art during the first half of the 20th century. Krohn's work is important for several reasons. He created posters and advertising material for various companies and events. These designs often featured bold colours and simplified forms, reflecting the influence of movements such as Sachplakat and early modernism. His designs are now appreciated for their aesthetic qualities and historical context. Krohn's work provides insight into the visual culture of Germany during a period of significant social and political change. His posters promoted consumer goods, cultural events, and political causes, offering a glimpse into the values and aspirations of the time. They document the evolution of advertising techniques and the increasing importance of visual communication in modern society. His designs are collected by museums and design enthusiasts.
  • What was Ernst Krohn's art style?
    Ernst Krohn worked in an Expressionist style.

Sources

Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Ernst Krohn.

  1. [1] museum Victoria and Albert Museum Used for: museum holdings.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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