Otto
Müller

Otto Muller (German Otto Mueller; October 16, 1874, Libau, Silesia - September 24, 1930, Breslau) - German expressionist artist, graphic artist, participant in several leading German art groups of the early twentieth century: "The Bridge", "The Blue Rider", New Secession.
Otto Muller began to study the skill of lithography before taking up painting. And did not leave this technique throughout life. He studied at the Dresden and Munich Academy of Art, traveled a lot and constantly wrote his wife Mashka, whom he met and fell in love with as a young man.
Mueller became a member of the Most association two years before its liquidation, but he maintained close relations with its founders and traveled frequently with Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich heckel. During World War I, he served first in the infantry, and later became a draftsman in the zeppelin unit, and by the end of the war he was demobilized with a serious lung disease that tormented him until the end of his life.
Müller was sure that there were Roma in his clan lineage - from his very childhood he was fascinated by the way of life of this nation, for which there were no geographical boundaries and houses. And when he matured, he went to the Balkans for inspiration and vivid impressions. Müller will repeatedly get from critics for the fact that his paintings are monotonous and endlessly repeat the same type of person, figure, the same image of a free person not tied to a place, nude and natural.
Otto Muller did not live to see the years when National Socialists came to power in Germany and 357 of his works, paintings and lithographs were withdrawn from German museums, and he himself was declared "degenerate artist."

Features of the artist Otto Muller: Ernst Lüvig Kirchner, in an article on the history of Most, talks about Muller as an artist, whose personality and work coincide in every way with the ideals of the bridgemen themselves. But in fact, this community looks obvious only if you look for it, choosing academic art as a background. Yes, Muller, along with the rest goes to the lakes and the Baltic Sea coast, writes nude models on the beaches and in the forests. But this nudity is lyrical and quiet, as opposed to causing, often animal, predatory nudity in expressionist paintings. That same monotony, dull sounding of colors, dull rhythm of composition, for which Muller was criticized, are his own aesthetic method, artistic mantra, which muffles the rumbling noise of the city, his dream of a world where people can have the happiness of being one with nature.

Famous paintings by Otto Muller: "Gypsy", "Three naked in the forest", "Couple in love".