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Die Brücke (The Bridge) was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. The original four Jugendstil architecture students led by Hermann Obrist included:
- Fritz Bleyl (1880-1966)
- Erich Heckel (1883-1970)
- Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938)
- Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884-1976)
Emil Nolde (1856-1956) and Max Pechstein (1881-1955) joined in 1906, and Otto Mueller (1874-1930) joined in 1910.
Although they were named for a passage in Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra that spoke of humanity's potential to be the evolutionary "bridge" to a more perfect future (Übermensch), Die Brücke's members instead aimed to make a 'bridge' between traditional neo-romantic German painting and modern expressionist painting.
Die Brücke was one of two groups of German painters fundamental to Expressionism, the other being Der Blaue Reiter group ("The Blue Rider") formed in Munich in 1911.
Die Brücke members isolated themselves in a working-class neighborhood of Dresden and developed a common style based on vivid color, emotional tension, violent imagery, and an influence from primitivism. After first concentrating exclusively on urban subject matter, the group ventured into southern Germany on expeditions arranged by Mueller and produced more nudes and arcadian images. The group disbanded in 1913 due to artistic differences. A successor group formed in 1919, the Dresdner Sezession, included painter Conrad Felixmüller among others.nl:Die Brücke de:Die Brücke he:הגשר