Christian Rohlfs
A German painter whose late-career embrace of Expressionism unleashed a vibrant, emotionally charged world of color and form.
1849–1938 (age 89)·German painter·Birthday: November 22
Biography
Christian Rohlfs's artistic path was a long evolution towards radiant freedom. Born in 1849, he began in the meticulous world of naturalism and Impressionism, his early career shaped by academic training and a serious leg infection that led to amputation. For decades, he taught and painted in a relatively traditional vein. The transformative shift came around 1900, after he moved to Hagen and fell under the influence of the collector Karl Ernst Osthaus and the avant-garde circle there. In his fifties, Rohlfs finally shed convention, embracing the bold, non-naturalistic colors and raw emotionalism of Expressionism. His later works—landscapes, figures, and religious scenes—pulse with intense, often mystical energy, rendered in vivid oils and dynamic watercolors. Despite being older than his Expressionist peers, he became a vital part of the movement, his productivity undimmed until his death in 1938, after which the Nazis condemned his work as 'degenerate'.
#1 When Christian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1849
Christian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1849Born
1854Started school
1862Became a teenager
President: Abraham Lincoln
1865Could drive
President: Andrew Johnson
1867Could vote
President: Andrew Johnson
1870Turned 21
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 30
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 40
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 50
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 60
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 70
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 80
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1938Died at 89
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
Key Achievements
- Became a leading figure of German Expressionism, producing a significant body of work in the style despite starting in his later years.
- Had a long teaching career at the Folkwang School in Hagen, where he influenced younger artists.
- His work was included in the Nazis' 1937 'Degenerate Art' exhibition, leading to the confiscation of his paintings.
- Developed a distinctive style of watercolor painting that emphasized fluid, transparent layers of intense color.
Did You Know?
He lost a leg due to a tuberculosis infection in his youth and painted using a prosthetic limb.
He was a close associate of collector and patron Karl Ernst Osthaus, who played a key role in his artistic shift.
He did not fully commit to an Expressionist style until he was in his 50s.
A museum dedicated to his work, the Christian Rohlfs Museum, exists in Hagen, Germany.
“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings.”
