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Rebel in the Making: Schoolboys Exercising, with One Eating an Apple (Japan, 1936), Fritz Henle,
I saw a wonderful show of the photography of Fritz Henle at that Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin in 2009. Henle was a master of many different types of photography. There is an excellent catalog of the exhibition published by the University of Texas Press called Fritz Henle In Search of Beauty.
Andreas Gursky, 99 Cent, 1999.
The photograph has been manipulated to enhance the consumer experience, removing shadows, adding a mirror to the ceiling, repeating the images, and removing the shoppers.
Matthias Grunewald, The Isenheim Alterpiece (detail), c. 1510-15, Musee d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France.
A shrine with two moveable wings, the Isenheim Altarpiece contains some of the most fascinating creatures ever portrayed.
Felt Suit by Josef Beuys.
Beuys’ work is difficult for many people to classify as "art." He believed in exalting everyday objects and in the healing powers of art. His felt suit represented one he wore to a protest of the war in Vietnam and to him it symbolized political change.
Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein, The Frick Collection
Holbein was a 16th century German artist who became the court painter under Henry VIII. His style, with its attention to detail, was well suited for his later work in miniature. The Tudor Rose
Winter Landscape, probably 1811 by Casper David Friedrich.
There is a man sitting down against the rocks and praying, he has abandoned his crutches as he approached the shrine. The serenity of the scene with the church in the background is a favorite theme of Friedrich.
Monastery Graveyard in the Snow, 1819 by Casper David Friedrich.
Friedrich's ethereal landscapes have an uncanny calmness. People have very personal reactions to his art. For example, if you are religious, you might concentrate on the ruined church and what that means. If you are feeling isolated or lonely, the winter scene and bare trees, may be what you feel most moved by.
Niagra Falls, by Albert Bierstadt.
Bierstadt painted panoramic, idealized scenes of the United States. His main subjects were places in the the American West which was being touted as the promised land and his beautiful landscapes helped to sell it as the place to explore and settle. Manifest Destiny
Self-Portrait with Fur-Trimmed Robe, 1500 by Albrecht Dürer.
Dürer was fully aware of his reference to paintings of Jesus Christ when he created this self-portrait. He did a series of self-portraits through-out his career. He writes in Latin "Thus I, Albrecht Dürer from Nuremberg, portrayed myself with characteristic colors in my 28th year."
Little Yellow Horses, 1912 by Franz Marc.
Der Blaue Reiter (the blue rider) was a group of Expressionist artists, most famously Marc and Kandinsky who chose the name because Marc liked horses, Kandinsky liked riders and they both liked blue.
Sechs Kissen (Six Pillows), 1493 by Albrecht Dürer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Dürer created this drawing as a study of shading by using cross-hatching, but it is also a study in drawing drapery.
Seated Woman with Bent Knee, 1917 by Egon Schiele
Schiele was arrested and imprisoned for immoral artwork. His work was often more explicit than this example; his work is raw and uncompromising. He died at 28 from influenza.
Nosegay of Violets, c.1503 by Albrecht Dürer.
Dürer's paintings and engravings are still compelling and popular 500 years after he lived and worked. He is considered the greatest German artist of the Northern Renaissance for his paintings and most especially his graphic work. his skill came from apprenticeship in metalwork whose exactly methods made for highly detailed etchings and engravings.
Betty, 1988 by Gerhard Richter, St. Louis Art Museum (copyright Gerhard Richter).
What looks to be a photograph is actually a painting of the artist's daughter. It cannot be considered a true portrait when it is of the back of the subject but he lovingly portrays the his subject. His style has varied a lot over the years from photo-realistic paintings like to the very abstract.
Self-portrait with Model, c. 1910 by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Kunsthalle, Hamburg.
Kirchner's self-portrait is the main focus of this work (who could ignore that robe). His work was branded "degenerate" by the Nazi's.
The Abbey in the Oakwood, 1809-10 by Casper David Friedrich, Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin.
Friedrich's remarkable landscapes in the Romantic style influenced the great landscape artists of the Hudson River School and the Rocky Mountain School.This work was done in sepia.
Portrait of Journalist Sylvia von Harden by Otto Dix, 1926.
Otto Dix is known for his colorful and harsh images of life during and after Germany’s Weimar Republic. He was a gunner in World War I.