Carl Lohse

Carl LohseExpressionist. Paintings, 1919-21The Hamburg-born painter Carl Lohse (1895-1965) is one of the mavericks of modernist art: around 1920, he created a brilliant oeuvre and was celebrated as a great promise; he then gave up his artistic existence for a life as a tram conductor. Until today, he has retained the flavor of an insider's tip.After early support from Alfred Lichtwark, director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle, and followed by studies, military service and captivity, Lohse goes to Bischofswerda near Dresden in 1919 and is caught up in a frenzy of creativity, producing, until April 1921, some 130 paintings, plaster sculptures and drawings. At breathtaking speed the young Expressionist - a vehement, virtuoso painter - develops a boldly coloristic style of his own. His groundbreaking work is the result of impetuous experiments with different visual languages. Critics are enthusiastic, but Lohse radically breaks with art. The mesmerizing group of works made between 1919 and 1921 remains a fascinating solitaire.This volume brings together more than 50 of Lohse's major works from famous public and private collections. It is an invitation to an exceptional discovery.