Ludwig Meidner

Ludwig Meidner was a German expressionist painter and printmaker, best known for his intense and dramatic images of the urban landscape.

Born in Bernstadt, Silesia (now Poland), Meidner studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Breslau and later at the Académie Julian in Paris. In the 1910s and 1920s, he was associated with the expressionist movement in Germany, along with other artists such as Max Beckmann and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Meidner's early works were marked by a bold use of color and a focus on the human figure, but he later became known for his apocalyptic images of the modern city. His works from this period, such as "Apocalyptic Landscape" (1913) and "Apocalyptic City" (1913-14), depict the chaos and destruction of industrialization and war, and are characterized by a frantic energy and bold use of line and color.

Meidner's work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. His legacy as a pioneer of expressionism and a powerful voice against the forces of modernity and oppression continues to inspire artists today.