Lehmbruck, Wilhelm (1881–1919)

German sculptor, painter, and printmaker. He was a leading expressionist of the early 1900s, whose elongated, sorrowing figures carry great emotional power. His principal works are a distillation of archaic and classical forms, their pathos derived from the artist's innate melancholy and his impressions of the chaos of war. The Fallen 1915–16 (Lehmbruck Estate, Duisburg) is a late masterpiece in cast stone.

Lehmbruck executed his major works 1910–19, initially in Paris 1910–14 under the influence of Rodin and Aristide Maillol and stimulated by his friendships with Brancusi, Archipenko, and Modigliani.