2020 IB Extended Essays

10

the red of bloodshed of Christ’s fate. Nolde was a member of the Die Brücke expressionist art group, translating to “the bridge” between the present and the future. Elements of the Die Brücke art style is evident in “The Last Supper” with its simplified figures and unnatural and vibrant use of colours. Judas, depicted on the right of Jesus, is the only person in the painting whose eyes are diverted away from Jesus. His skin is painted with a greener tone compared to everyone else, symbolising the colour of envy and guilt. By utilising the light source in the centre of the piece, a vignette affect is created by Nolde where Jesus and Judas are the focus and darker tones are used around the end of the piece to set a sombre mood and make the composition appear more packed. Censorship of Expressionism Artworks Emil Nolde was an avid member of the Nazi Party and fully supported Hitler, however this did not make him immune to the strict censorship of art. Despite being a member of the Nazi Party, 1052 pieces of Emil Nolde’s work, including “The Last Supper”, were stolen by Nazi officials in 1937. “The Last Supper”, along with a few other pieces by Nolde, were displayed at the “Entartete Kunst” exhibition and shown across Germany. Hitler, someone who loathed Christianity, described the piece as “a mockery of the divine”. Although Hitler was not religious, he occasionally claimed to believe in the “Providence”, sparked by his survival of an assassination attempt in 1944. Many suspect that this was merely a way for him to not come to terms with his inability to make an error of judgement, however, Hitler ironically knew to respect higher powers such as the “Providence”. Expressionism pieces such as “The Last Supper” heavily contrasts Hitler’s ideal painting. “The Last Supper” is in an unrealistic style and uses unnatural colours for its subject matter. The brushstrokes are messy, and the colours are blended carelessly. Hitler’s ideal piece, most likely