Portraits and self-portraits constitute a large part of painter and illustrator Else Meidner’s oeuvre. In many of these works, the artist uses gestures to subtly heighten the intensity of expression. In particular, the gesture of melancholy — with subjects resting their heads in their hands — carries throughout her entire body of work. The portraits oscillate between meditative contemplation, resignation, and grief.
Else Meidner, Self-portrait with Propped Chin, ca. 1925
Grease crayon drawing, 59.3 x 46 cm
© Ludwig Meidner Archive, Jewish Museum Frankfurt. Photo: Herbert Fischer
From an early age, Else Meidner was fascinated by the darker aspects of the human psyche. Her works address death, violence, depression, and suffering. This does not, however, allow us to draw conclusions regarding the fun-loving, lively young artist’s psychological state: exploring the depths of human nature was part of the 1920s zeitgeist, both in Expressionism and New Objectivity.
Else Meidner, Self-portrait with Demons, 1927–1930
Grease crayon drawing, 59 x 46 cm
© Ludwig Meidner Archive, Jewish Museum Frankfurt. Photo: Herbert Fischer
In this self-portrait, Else Meidner references two prominent works of art history. She depicts herself in the classic pose of melancholy, the best-known example of which is Albrecht Dürer’s world-famous engraving Melencholia I. The demons surrounding the artist call to mind the equally famous etching The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters by Francisco de Goya.
Else Meidner, Old Woman with Propped Head, 1950
Charcoal drawing, 69 x 56 cm
© Ludwig Meidner Archive, Jewish Museum Frankfurt. Photo: Herbert Fischer
In Else Meidner’s work, there are significantly more portraits of women than of men. This is due to her perception of women in society and her self-image as an artist. Although she wasn’t a militant feminist, she was highly sensitive to female perspectives and repeatedly depicted women archetypes in her work, for instance as mother or as an object of erotic fantasy.
Else Meidner, Seated Woman, 1961
Charcoal drawing, 76 x 55.8 cm
© Ludwig Meidner Archive, Jewish Museum Frankfurt. Photo: Herbert Fischer
In addition to the melancholic pose, the portraits also depict people covering their face or eyes with their hands. The gesture suggests withdrawal; it expresses pain and grief. Because it first appears in Else Meidner’s work of the 1940s, we can assume a reference to the Shoah. The images can be interpreted as an expression of both individual and collective grief.
Else Meidner, Seated Woman, 1961
Charcoal drawing, 76 x 55.7 cm
© Ludwig Meidner Archive, Jewish Museum Frankfurt. Photo: Herbert Fischer
This is probably one of Else Meidner’s most radical portraits. While we’re familiar with figures from the back in art history—the so-called repoussoir figures generally direct the viewer’s eye to the picture’s main theme— figures from the back that fill the entire image are exceedingly rare. The seated woman here is turned away from the viewer, signalizing a complete refusal of communication. It remains unclear whether this is motivated by sadness or annoyance, or is intended to express the figure’s loneliness.
Else Meidner
Else Meidner, née Meyer, was encouraged by Käthe Kollwitz and Max Slevogt to pursue an artistic career. For a long time, she remained in the shadow of her famous husband, the Expressionist Ludwig Meidner. She was his student and later his wife and companion during their period of exile in London, where the artist couple lived in modest circumstances. Unlike her husband, who returned to Germany in 1953 and once again found recognition as an artist, she refused to move back permanently.
Else Meidner’s artistic work focuses on portraits and self-portraits, as well as on landscapes and still lifes. In the mid-1960s, she gave up painting for health reasons, but also out of discouragement.
The showcase exhibition explores the subtle gestures in Else Meidner’s psychologically intense portraits. Through March 2025, in three consecutive hangings, we will be showing a total of 57 large-format haunting portrait drawings by the artist.
The exhibition was curated by Erik Riedel of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt’s Ludwig Meidner Archive, which manages Else Meidner’s artistic estate of approximately 1,300 works.
Opening
We’re pleased to open the “Else Meidner. Melancholia” cabinet exhibition on May 23 at 7 p.m. with a short lecture on the artist by Erik Riedel, the exhibition’s curator. This is followed by a reading with actress Anja Becker from Else Meidner’s autobiographical texts and a guided tour through the exhibition of the artist’s haunting portraits, which hover between contemplation and sadness.
Event location:
Jewish Museum Frankfurt
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