The Fisherman

A solitary man with feet planted upon dark rocks stands amid the rushing waters of a stream in this color woodcut by German Expressionist artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Alone with his thoughts, the man angles for fish. During pre-World War I years, Kirchner and fellow members of the Dresden/Berlin-based artist group, Die Brücke (The Bridge), sought a similar reconnection with nature by spending their summers camping at nearby lakes and on the North Sea island of Fehmarn. While serving in the German army during the war, Kirchner suffered a nervous breakdown. He was discharged and moved to neutral Switzerland, where he sought solace in the restorative mountains near Davos.