Kriegszeit – Künstlerflugblätter

Kriegszeit – Künstlerflugblätter ("Wartime – Artists' Flyers") was a German art periodical founded in Berlin in 1914 by the prominent gallery owner and publisher Paul Cassirer, with the collaboration of Alfred Gold. It published original lithographs, predominantly with war-related subjects, by major members of the Berlin Secession. The journal is a significant document of German artistic production during the First World War, capturing the shift from initial patriotic enthusiasm to growing war-weariness and disillusionment. The periodical initially appeared weekly, but by mid-1915 Cassirer had stretched the publication rhythm to biweekly, and later it appeared only irregularly. Its final issue, in March 1916, reflected a growing fatigue with the war. A month later, Cassirer replaced Kriegszeit with a new journal, Der Bildermann. The publication is now in the public domain and has been digitized by the Heidelberg University Library, which hosts a digital edition of the 1914–1916 issues.

Kriegszeit – Künstlerflugblätter was founded in 1914 in Berlin by the well-known gallery owner and publishing director Paul Cassirer, with the collaboration of Alfred Gold. It was a German art journal that published original lithographs, mostly with war-related content, by significant members of the Berlin Secession. Initially, the journal featured predominantly pro-war works, including pieces by Max Liebermann, alongside works with partly chauvinistic undertones. Many artists who were generally known for an oppositional stance toward the political establishment of the German Empire initially conformed to the social "Burgfrieden" (civil peace) after the outbreak of war and voluntarily placed themselves in the service of national enthusiasm. However, this initial current was soon followed by disillusionment, which found expression in changed themes. Instead of hurrah-patriotic depictions of storming soldiers in combat scenes, increasingly escapist works with critical undertones appeared, some even with covertly pacifist approaches. Notable examples include the artistically high-quality lithographs by Ernst Barlach, Max Beckmann, Willy Jaeckel, Käthe Kollwitz, and Hans Meid. By mid-1915, the publisher began to stretch the initially weekly publication frequency to a biweekly rhythm, before it was published only irregularly. In the final issue – March 1916 – the journal reflected a growing war-weariness. A month later, Cassirer replaced Kriegszeit with the journal Der Bildermann. The publication is now historically significant as a document of artistic responses to the First World War and the transition from patriotic fervor to critical reflection.

• 1916

  Final issue published in March; replaced by Der Bildermann a month later.

• 1915

  Publication frequency changed from weekly to biweekly, later becoming irregular.

• 1914

  Kriegszeit – Künstlerflugblätter founded in Berlin by Paul Cassirer with Alfred Gold.

A high-quality, artistically ambitious publication that served as a platform for Berlin Secession artists to engage with the war, moving from patriotic imagery to critical and pacifist undertones.

• Kriegszeit – Künstlerflugblätter (periodical)

  A German art periodical published from 1914 to 1916, featuring original lithographs by Berlin Secession artists.

1. 1Kriegszeit - Künstlerflugblätter - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kriegszeit - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Kriegszeit 1914–1916 – Digitalisatdigi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de
4. 4Making sure you're not a bot!digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de