What Kirchner Taught Me

Ever since I saw Kirchner's work at die Boettcherstrasse in Bremen, I have admired his Berlin street scenes:

This one, however, I didn't understand until now. It is Selbstbildnis als Soldat (Self-portrait as a soldier), 1915.

Kirchner was assigned to field artillery during the Great War, until his depression and lung disease led to his return to Berlin. Back in his studio, he painted this self-portrait, in which he symbolically mutilated his painting-hand and depicted himself in uniform. He was eventually driven to suicide by the Nazi persecutions.

Brezhnev-Honecker Kiss

Dimitri Vrubel's Brotherhood Kiss at the East Side Gallery, Berlin Wall. I took this pre-the 2009 "restoration" (more like a complete re-painting from what I hear), and I'm ashamed to say I had no idea who the guys in the manbrace are until about three minutes ago...

They are Leonid Ilich Brezhnev and Eric Honecker. Before you scoff at my ignorance, remember that I'm researching for this blog to address my ignorance. Kudos, please? From 1964-1982 Brezhnev was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Honecker was Chairman of the Council of State over in the DDR East Germany. He built The Wall and under his leadership around 125 East Germans were killed while trying to cross it.

T.'s Birkies

Birkenstocks. T.'s footwear preferences can not be said to represent those of an entire nation, however he does wear these around the house. Always.

He has several pairs, has bought some for me and claims that during winter they are the only shoes able to keep his feet warm. As an Australian I have pointed out that Ugg boots might be more efficient, but he is very loyal to his Birkies.

Man of Wrath

Here is Mary Annette Beauchamp, Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin, Countess Russell and, to her readers, Elizabeth von Armin.

She wrote Enchanted April and Elizabeth and Her German Garden, among other boooks. She was an Australian married to a German, whom she called The Man of Wrath. When he visited her in Italy, she showed him her prized lilacs and all he said was that they needed a thorough pruning.

T.ism #1

"Nur ein Katzensprung."
Literally: Just a cat's jump.
T. Usage: "Come on, it's just a katzensprung!"

Thank You Sophie Charlotte

When I started looking for non-fiction books about Germany, I discovered that the history section of your average bookstore chain, such as Dymocks, rarely stocks more than a few depressing accounts of the World Wars, a Luftwaffe aircraft coffee-table book and a biography of this guy:

Of course, none of us should forget what that guy did, but after reading William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and John Cornwell's Hitler's Scientists: Science, War and the Devil's Pact, I had nightmares about T. killing me in my sleep. Did my adorable T. really come from the same gene pool as those people?

"OK," I said to T., "You guys were briefly the scourge of the planet. But what was Germany up to before the world wars?"

Thank god for Christopher Clark's Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia 1600-1947. He introduced me to Frederick I and his consort Sophie Charlotte, who found her husband's coronation so tedious that she took pinches of snuff throughout to provide herself with "some pleasant distraction." By all accounts they were clever, genial, courteous polyglots who surrounded themselves with philosophers, scientists and artists. Now this is a Germany I can love. We visited their house recently. Charlottenberg:

Lederhosen

Pre-T. I thought it possible a man from north Germany would happily dress like this guy:

T. assures me, however, that a north German man wouldn't be caught dead in Bavarian lederhosen.

Three Reasons to Love Bremen

T. is from Bremen, which is famous for the following:

1. The Brother's Grimm fairytale Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Bremen Town Musicians). Here is the famous market square statue depicting the clever animals.

...which is even cuter when viewed from this angle.

2. Becks beer.

3. Roland, the knight who confronts the church as a representation of city rights opposed to the territorial claims of the prince-archbishop. Apparently in the late 1100s Bremen, freie Hansestadt Bremen, was granted several privileges, the most important of which being that property within the municipal boundaries could not be subjected to feudal over-lordship. If serfs managed to live in the city for a year and a day, they would henceforth be regarded as free. According to legend, Bremen will remain free and independent for as long as the Roland stands watch. Here he is: