The Hare 1921

Lovis Corinth created this painting of a hare in Germany, in 1921. Corinth was part of the German Expressionist movement, and his work often grappled with themes of mortality and the raw realities of life, especially later in his career. Here, the hare isn't presented as a symbol of pastoral beauty, but rather as a creature reduced to its material form. The loose brushstrokes and somewhat morbid color palette, set against the orange background, evoke a sense of decay and vulnerability. The painting was created in the aftermath of World War I, a period of immense social and economic upheaval in Germany, where the social fabric of the country had been shaken. To fully understand this piece, one might delve into the history of German Expressionism, the impact of the war on artistic production, and Corinth's personal biography. The meaning of art lies not just in the object itself, but in its complex relationship with its historical context.