We are powerfully fascinated by the rich colors and brilliant light in the paintings by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938), his expressive figurative picture and scenes of the big city, the majestic mountain landscapes of Davos, and the abstract quality of his later works.How did Kirchner himself perceive his colors, and how did his contemporaries see them? How did he implement his materials? What sort of visual effects did the painter want to achieve? This publication, which accompanies an exhibition at the Kirchner Museum in Davos, examines these and many other questions about his working process, painting methods, and techniques, and why he later painted over his works.Kirchner’s personal testimonials on painting techniques are evaluated, while selected works by the artist are presented and examined with the assistance of state-of-the-art scientific methods. (English edition ISBN 978-3-7757-3137-9) Exhibition schedule: Kirchner Museum Davos December 12, 2011–April 15, 2012