Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
‍
Antonius and Cleopatra
(Antonius und Kleopatra)
‍
1921-23
Oil in canvas
80 x 69 cm (canvas)
87 x 97 x 5.5 cm (frame)
Gordon 0678

In original wooden Kirchner frame. Signed upper left. On the reverse with the estate stamp and the inscription "KN-Da/Be 2" in ink.

Literary themes often occupied the widely read Kirchner. In principle, we are dealing here with the history painting, a genre that had dominated the painting of the 19th century and which after 1870 fell into oblivion and sometimes even into disrepute. Surprisingly, the avant-garde Kirchner thought in terms of the traditional hierarchy of genres. History painting belonged to the highest genre he always aspired to, figure painting, and thus suited his aspirations.

Here he is also entirely in the long tradition of depicting the subject: Cleopatra entirely in the naked splendor of her physical beauty in yellow-ochre incarnate left lying from top to bottom on a bed and Antonius standing right in full metallic blue armor. He leans towards her from above, she looks up at him from below left with her head propped up. To Cleopatra's left, a standing dark-skinned man fans her with fresh air. To the right behind and next to Antonius, a dark-skinned woman kneels and already seems to be taking off parts of his leg armor. The bed standing vertically in the room is covered with one of Kirchner's beloved Persian carpets, this one in a cheerful red-blue tone like the figure of Antonius. Its patterns continue in the few background sections of the painting. These, however, in yellow tones relate more to the figure of Cleopatra. An excellent example of what Gordon calls the "carpet style" circa 1923-24.

Whether Shakespeare's drama, so sprawling, inspired Kirchner is unclear. His works are missing from Kirchner's extensive library. Here - as in other cases with him - a historical painting as a reproduction could have been the inspiration.