Where to See Heinrich Campendonk

Heinrich Campendonk's artworks are held in numerous public collections, mainly in Germany. The Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich holds a strong collection of works from Campendonk's Blaue Reiter period. The collection includes paintings such as "Landschaft mit Tieren und Reitern" (1913). The Stadtmuseum Bonn possesses several paintings and prints, including his glass window designs for the chapel of Haus Roth. Other German museums with notable Campendonk holdings include the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld, which has a collection of his paintings and graphic works; the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal; and the Sprengel Museum in Hanover. His work also appears in the collection of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. Outside Germany, Campendonk's works can be found in the collection of the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, in Paris. The Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard also holds some examples of his work.

Heinrich Campendonk (1889-1957) was a German painter, designer and printmaker associated with the Blaue Reiter group from 1911. Encouraged by Herwarth Walden, whose Galerie Der Sturm promoted Blaue Reiter artists, Campendonk began making prints in 1912. His print output totals seventy-seven, all black-and-white woodcuts. Approximately a third of these were made from 1916 to 1917, when woodcut was a major preoccupation. Many were published in periodicals such as Der Sturm, Das Holzschnittbuch, and Die Schaffenden. Campendonk's prints often depict lyrical, fairy tale-like scenes. These works envision a mystical harmony between animals, untamed nature, and humans. His subject matter and prismatic forms show the influence of Franz Marc, as well as Bavarian folk art. Examples include *Seated Girl with Stag* (1916) and *The Tiger* (1916), both published by Der Sturm. After being dismissed from his teaching post at the Düsseldorf Academy by the Nazis in 1933, Campendonk emigrated to Belgium in 1934, and then to Amsterdam in 1935.

Heinrich Campendonk's paintings offer insight into Expressionist artistic communities in Germany before the First World War. He participated in important exhibitions, such as the Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne (1912) and the Erster Deutscher Herbstsalon in Berlin (1913). These events brought together younger artists from across Europe. Campendonk was associated with the Blaue Reiter group. This Munich-based group saw art as central to a spiritual renewal, connecting inner experience with the external world. The artists aimed to create symbols relevant to their time, envisioning art as part of a larger existential connection between nature, the spiritual realm, and human expression. Campendonk's association with figures such as Kandinsky, Marc, and others in the Blaue Reiter group places him within a network that sought a synthesis of the arts. The group's brief but comprehensive impact on the European art scene has had a lasting effect, influencing generations of artists.

Heinrich Campendonk worked with various printmaking techniques. These included drypoint etching, woodcut, and lithography. Drypoint etching involves using a sharp needle to scratch directly into a metal plate, often copper. The artist applies ink to the plate, wipes it clean, and then uses a press to transfer the image to paper. The pressure of the press fuses the colour with the paper. Woodcut is a relief printing technique using wood. The artist cuts away areas of the block, leaving the design to be printed raised. Colour is rolled onto the surface, covering the point and leaving the surrounding area free. The pressure of the press is lighter than with etching; the paper remains on the surface. Lithography uses a stone or metal plate. The artist draws on the surface with a greasy crayon or ink. The surface is treated so that the ink adheres only to the drawn areas.

Heinrich Campendonk, along with Franz Marc, Marc Chagall, and Paul Klee, devalued objects in his paintings. This allowed him to reveal colour and form relationships central to abstract painting. Campendonk's work, like that of other Expressionists, aimed to subordinate the painted object to pictorial principles; the picture should captivate through expressive colour and form, rather than concrete concepts. Expressionist innovation influenced print history throughout the 20th century. Die Brücke artists, including Kirchner, Heckel and Schmidt-Rottluff, used woodcuts to formulate a new direction in art. They drew inspiration from 15th- and 16th-century German prints, and the popular woodcuts of Edvard Munch. The angularity they developed in their woodcuts was retained in their paintings. This expressive line, combined with Fauve colour, became the base of the German Expressionist style.

The Bauhaus was artistically and pedagogically revolutionary in Germany, as well as Europe. Its ambition to renovate art and architecture aligned with similar efforts, from which it drew ideas. The Bauhaus did not exist in isolation. Some believe that the school broke with all traditions and started fresh. Others suggest that many art movements and important artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries influenced the Bauhaus. These include Expressionism, Cubism, and Constructivism. The Bauhaus aimed to unite art, craft, and technology, and its curriculum included workshops in various media, such as painting, sculpture, and design. The school's emphasis on collaboration and experimentation helped to create a unique and influential artistic style.

Heinrich Campendonk is best known for his contributions to German Expressionism, particularly his involvement with the Blaue Reiter group. While it is difficult to single out one definitive "most famous" work, several pieces are particularly significant. One important painting is "Animal Fantasy" (1913), which demonstrates Campendonk's early style. This work displays the influence of Franz Marc and incorporates themes of animals and rural life. His paintings often featured simplified forms and symbolic colours. Another notable example is "Couple with Cat" (1925). This later piece shows a shift in his style after the First World War. During this period, Campendonk's work became more figurative, with a focus on human subjects. He also experimented with stained glass techniques, which influenced his painting style. Campendonk's prints are also well known. These include linocuts and woodcuts, which allowed him to explore similar themes. His graphic work often echoed the same subjects and stylistic elements found in his paintings.

Heinrich Campendonk (1889-1957) is associated with German Expressionism, particularly the group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). This movement, active from 1911 to 1914, sought to express spiritual truths through abstract forms and symbolic colour choices. Campendonk's style combined influences from folk art, Cubism, and Futurism. His early works often featured rural scenes populated by figures and animals, rendered in bright, non-naturalistic colours. These paintings aimed to convey a sense of harmony between humanity and nature. During the First World War, Campendonk lived in seclusion in Seeshaupt, Upper Bavaria. He continued to develop his distinctive style, producing paintings, prints, and glass paintings. In 1926, he accepted a teaching position at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. However, his art was later condemned as "degenerate" by the Nazis, and he was dismissed from his post in 1933. Campendonk emigrated to Belgium in 1934, and then to the Netherlands in 1935, where he taught at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam until his death.