Beachgoers flock to explore Usedom's artistic drawings, with enthusiasts riding bikes in pursuit of a noted genius's sketches
Lyonel Feininger, a renowned German-American painter and printmaker, spent over a decade exploring the picturesque island of Usedom between 1908 and 1921. During this time, he immersed himself in the island's unique landscapes, architecture, and coastal scenes, which significantly influenced his classical modernist paintings.
Usedom, known as the "bathing tub of Berlin" until the 1930s, was a popular destination for Berliners seeking glamorous seaside resorts, beaches, luxury hotels, and the fresh Baltic air. Feininger, who preferred solitude, found in Usedom an open sketchbook for his artistic endeavours.
The island served as a muse for Feininger, inspiring him to paint views of small coastal villages such as Zinnowitz, Ahlbeck, and Heringsdorf. His works often depicted the unique blend of seaside resort architecture—characteristic half-timbered houses, piers, and promenades.
Feininger captured the island’s beaches, dunes, and the interplay of light on the Baltic Sea. These coastal landscapes were a major theme in his watercolors and sketches. He also included maritime elements like lighthouses and harbors, integrating nautical motifs into his compositions.
Beyond the coast, Feininger explored the island’s varied natural scenery—forests, meadows, and rural countryside. These appear in his works as a contrast to the built environment. The iconic wooden piers of the seaside resorts were frequent subjects, providing strong compositional elements in his paintings.
Feininger combined his passion for cycling with art, using his bike tours to discover fresh visual inspiration. He cycled up to 10,000 kilometers a year, exploring the area around the spa town of Heringsdorf on Usedom. Feininger used a Cleveland Ohio bike model for these tours, carrying a sketchbook or easel with him as he cycled across the island in the Pomeranian Bay.
This period was instrumental in Feininger's development in both Cubism and Expressionism. The island’s light, atmosphere, and blend of nature and architecture strongly influenced his style during this phase of his career. If you want specific titles of works from that period or locations of surviving original sketches, many can be found in museum collections or Feininger’s published catalogues raisonnés.
One can discover a collection of Feininger's works that depict outdoor-living and home-and-garden elements, as he often painted seaside resort architecture with characteristic half-timbered houses, piers, and promenades, blending seamlessly with the landscapes of Usedom island. Applying the same inspiration, one might envision applying his unique style to one's own lifestyle, incorporating elements of outdoor-living and home-and-garden design.
