Lesser Ury stands as a significant yet sometimes overlooked figure within the vibrant landscape of German art at the turn of the 20th century. Primarily associated with German Impressionism, Ury carved a unique niche for himself as the quintessential painter of Berlin. His canvases captured the pulsating energy, the fleeting moments, and the atmospheric nuances of the rapidly modernizing German capital, particularly its rain-slicked streets and artificially lit interiors. A master of oil and pastel, Ury developed a distinctive style that, while rooted in Impressionist principles, possessed a singular intensity and emotional depth. His life, marked by artistic dedication, professional rivalries, financial struggles, and the looming shadow of historical turmoil, adds layers of complexity to the appreciation of his luminous work.
Early Life and Artistic Awakening
Leo Lesser Ury was born on November 7, 1861, in Birnbaum, in the Prussian province of Posen, now Międzychód, Poland. His father was a baker, and the family lived a modest life. A significant shift occurred in 1872 when Ury's father passed away, prompting the family's relocation to the burgeoning metropolis of Berlin. This move would prove decisive for the young Ury's future artistic trajectory, immersing him in the environment that would become his principal muse.
Like many artists, Ury's path was not initially straightforward. After completing basic schooling, he briefly undertook a commercial apprenticeship, a practical path perhaps encouraged by his family's circumstances. However, the pull towards art was undeniable. Finding the mercantile world unfulfilling, Ury made the pivotal decision to dedicate himself to painting. This commitment led him, in 1878, to enroll at the prestigious Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, one of Germany's leading art academies.
Formative Years: Training and Travels
The Düsseldorf Academy provided Ury with a solid foundation in academic drawing and painting techniques. However, his artistic education extended far beyond its walls. Possessing an innate curiosity and a desire to broaden his horizons, Ury embarked on a period of extensive travel and study across Europe. He spent time in Brussels, absorbing the influences of Belgian art, and significantly, in Paris, the very crucible of Impressionism. While direct encounters with leading French Impressionists like Claude Monet or Camille Pissarro are not definitively documented during this early period, the movement's revolutionary approach to light and colour undoubtedly made an impression.
His journey continued through Stuttgart and various locations in Flanders, where he likely studied the Old Masters, absorbing lessons in composition and technique. He also spent time in Munich, another major German art centre, further enriching his artistic vocabulary. This period of wandering and learning was crucial, exposing Ury to diverse artistic traditions and contemporary movements, allowing him to synthesize these influences into what would become his own unique visual language. He returned to Berlin in 1887, equipped with a diverse skill set and a burgeoning artistic vision.
Establishing a Presence in Berlin
Upon his return, Berlin became Ury's permanent base and the central subject of his art. He began translating his observations of the city – its streets, its people, its changing moods – onto canvas. His initial foray into the Berlin art scene was met with challenges. His first major exhibition, held in 1889, received a rather cool reception from critics and the public. The Impressionist style, still relatively novel in Germany compared to France, was not yet widely embraced.
However, Ury found a crucial supporter in a towering figure of German art: Adolph von Menzel. Menzel, an older, established master known for his Realist depictions of historical scenes and contemporary life, recognized the talent in the younger artist. Menzel's advocacy provided Ury with much-needed encouragement and validation. This support likely contributed to Ury receiving an award from the Academy, a significant boost during a difficult early phase of his career in Berlin. Despite this initial recognition, financial security remained elusive, a theme that would persist throughout his life.
The Poet of Urban Life: Berlin as Muse
Ury became inextricably linked with Berlin. He was not merely depicting the city; he was interpreting its soul. At a time when Berlin was rapidly transforming into a major European metropolis – a hub of industry, culture, and nightlife – Ury captured its dynamism and its atmosphere like few others. He was drawn to the city's grand boulevards like Unter den Linden and Leipziger Straße, but also to its intimate corners, its bustling squares like Potsdamer Platz, and especially its cafes.
He developed a particular fascination with the effects of weather and artificial light on the urban environment. Rainy days and nights became a signature theme. Ury masterfully rendered the reflections of gaslights and electric lamps on wet cobblestones, the blurred movement of figures huddled under umbrellas, and the gleaming tracks of trams cutting through the downpour. His paintings evoke the specific sensory experience of Berlin in the rain – the damp air, the shimmering surfaces, the hurried pace of life. He captured the city's modernity, not just through its architecture and technology (like horse-drawn carriages giving way to motorcars), but through its very atmosphere.
Mastery of Light, Colour, and Pastel
What truly distinguishes Ury's work is his exceptional handling of light and colour, often achieved through his virtuosic use of pastels alongside oils. While clearly influenced by French Impressionism's focus on capturing fleeting moments and the effects of light, Ury's approach differed. Where artists like Monet meticulously studied the changing natural light on haystacks or cathedrals, Ury often focused on the artificial illumination of the city at night or the diffused, melancholic light of a rainy day.
His palette often featured deep blues, purples, and blacks for his nocturnal and rainy scenes, punctuated by vibrant yellows, oranges, and whites from streetlights, shop windows, and reflections. This created a dramatic, sometimes almost theatrical, effect. His brushwork could be loose and energetic, capturing movement and immediacy, but he also possessed a remarkable ability to render detail and texture, especially in his pastel works. Pastels allowed him a particular immediacy and brilliance of colour, enabling him to capture the ephemeral glow of gaslight or the soft haze of a misty evening with remarkable sensitivity. His technical skill, particularly with pastels, set him apart from many of his German contemporaries.
Iconic Themes: Café Culture and Rainy Streets
Among Ury's most celebrated works are his depictions of Berlin's vibrant café culture and his atmospheric rainy street scenes. Cafés like the famous Café Bauer were central hubs of social and intellectual life in Wilhelmine Berlin, and Ury captured their interiors with remarkable insight. His painting *Evening in the Café Bauer* is considered one of his masterpieces. It depicts the warm, brightly lit interior, patrons engaged in conversation or quiet contemplation, the play of light on surfaces, and the sense of sophisticated urbanity. He returned to the café theme repeatedly, exploring different establishments and times of day, fascinated by the interplay of artificial light, human interaction, and enclosed spaces.
Equally iconic are his countless depictions of Berlin streets under the rain. These are not mere topographical records but evocative mood pieces. Works titled *Rainy Street*, *Wet Street at Night*, or depicting specific locations like Potsdamer Platz in the rain, showcase his ability to transform the mundane into something poetic. He captured the slickness of the pavement, the distorted reflections, the isolated figures, conveying a sense of both the city's energy and a certain urban melancholy. These works resonate with the viewer, capturing a universal experience of the city in inclement weather, elevated through Ury's unique artistic lens. His focus on these specific urban motifs rivals that of French artists like Gustave Caillebotte, though Ury's treatment often carries a more intense, almost expressionistic charge.
Beyond the Cityscape: Landscapes and Biblical Themes
While best known for his Berlin scenes, Ury's oeuvre was not limited to the urban environment. He also produced numerous landscape paintings, often depicting the parks and surrounding areas of Berlin, such as the Tiergarten or the Grunewald forest. These works demonstrate his sensitivity to natural light and atmosphere, rendered with the same Impressionistic vibrancy as his cityscapes. He also travelled, painting scenes from Italy and other European locations, showcasing his versatility.
Furthermore, Ury, who was Jewish, engaged with biblical and religious themes throughout his career. Works like *Moses Viewing the Promised Land* or depictions of Jeremiah reflect his connection to his heritage and his interest in exploring profound historical and spiritual narratives. These works often possess a solemnity and grandeur that contrasts with the fleeting immediacy of his urban scenes, demonstrating the breadth of his artistic interests and capabilities. This engagement with Jewish themes adds another dimension to his identity as an artist working within a predominantly Christian society, facing underlying currents of anti-Semitism even before the Nazi era.
Navigating the Art World: Secessions and Rivalries
Ury's career unfolded against the backdrop of significant shifts in the German art world, particularly the rise of the Secession movements. These groups emerged in opposition to the conservative, state-sponsored art academies and salons, advocating for modern artistic styles like Impressionism, Symbolism, and Art Nouveau. In 1893, Ury joined the Munich Secession, aligning himself with progressive artists seeking greater artistic freedom and exhibition opportunities outside the established system.
His relationship with the Berlin art establishment, particularly the Berlin Secession (founded in 1898), was more complex, largely due to his difficult relationship with Max Liebermann. Liebermann, also a prominent Jewish artist and a leading figure in German Impressionism, was a founder and the long-time president of the Berlin Secession. While initially perhaps friendly or at least collegial, their relationship soured, apparently fueled by professional jealousy. Liebermann, already an established and influential figure, reportedly viewed the talented Ury as a rival and actively hindered his career, allegedly blocking his early attempts to join the Berlin Secession. This rivalry highlights the competitive nature of the art world and the personal dynamics that can shape an artist's path.
The Berlin Secession and Later Recognition
Despite the initial obstacles potentially created by Liebermann, Ury eventually did become associated with the Berlin Secession, thanks in part to the support of another key figure, Lovis Corinth. Corinth, himself a major force in German Impressionism and later Expressionism, recognized Ury's talent and advocated for him within the Secession. Ury exhibited with the Berlin Secession in important shows in 1915 and 1922. The Berlin Secession, which also included prominent artists like Max Slevogt, Walter Leistikow, Käthe Kollwitz, and briefly exhibited Edvard Munch (whose controversial 1892 show in Berlin was a catalyst for the Secession's formation), was a crucial platform for modern art in Germany. The influential art dealer Paul Cassirer also played a significant role in promoting Secession artists, including Ury.
In his later years, Ury achieved a degree of recognition. He was made an honorary member of the Secession in 1921, and a major exhibition was held in honour of his 60th birthday that same year. National galleries began acquiring his work. However, this official recognition did not translate into financial stability or alleviate a growing sense of personal isolation.
Printmaking and the Burden of Reproductions
Alongside his painting, Ury was also active as a printmaker, working in etching and lithography. These mediums allowed him to explore his characteristic themes – cityscapes, cafes, landscapes – with different textures and tonal possibilities. His prints often possess the same atmospheric qualities and sensitivity to light found in his paintings.
However, Ury developed a practice that, while perhaps born of financial necessity, ultimately damaged his reputation among some critics and collectors. He frequently made copies or variations of his own popular paintings, particularly the pastels, to sell quickly. Often, these reproductions were executed with less care and artistic rigour than the originals. This habit led to accusations of self-plagiarism and concerns about the uneven quality of works bearing his name, complicating the market for his art and casting a shadow over his artistic integrity, despite the undeniable brilliance of his best work.
Later Years, Isolation, and Death
The last decade of Ury's life was marked by increasing withdrawal and solitude. Despite the honorary titles and exhibitions, he remained a somewhat introverted and perhaps difficult personality, never fully integrated into the mainstream art circles dominated by figures like Liebermann. He continued to paint, often revisiting his favourite Berlin motifs, but lived a reclusive life in his studio on the Nollendorfplatz.
His financial situation remained precarious. He died on October 18, 1931, in his Berlin studio, almost penniless. His death occurred just before his 70th birthday, for which another major exhibition was being planned. He was buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weißensee, a poignant resting place given his heritage and the catastrophic events that would soon engulf Germany.
The Shadow of Nazism and Post-War Rediscovery
Ury's death occurred less than two years before the Nazis seized power in Germany. As a Jewish artist working in a modern, Impressionist style, Ury represented much of what the Nazi regime despised and would label "degenerate art." During the Third Reich, his works were removed from German museums, confiscated from Jewish collectors, and many were likely lost or destroyed. His name, like those of many other Jewish artists and modernists such as Max Beckmann or members of the Bauhaus, fell into obscurity within Germany.
It was only after World War II that a gradual rediscovery and reappraisal of Lesser Ury's work began. Exhibitions were organized, and art historians started to reassess his unique contribution to German Impressionism. His paintings began to reappear in museums and private collections internationally. Today, his works are held in institutions in Germany, Israel, the United States, and elsewhere, recognized for their artistic merit and historical significance.
Legacy: A Singular Vision of Berlin
Lesser Ury remains a fascinating figure, an artist whose work provides a vivid and atmospheric portrait of Berlin at a pivotal moment in its history. While often grouped with Liebermann and Corinth as the triumvirate of German Impressionism, Ury's style possesses a distinct character. His focus on the specific conditions of urban light – artificial, nocturnal, rain-filtered – and his mastery of pastel give his work a unique intensity and moodiness that sets him apart.
He captured the dynamism, the sophistication, but also the underlying melancholy of the modern metropolis. His paintings of rain-swept streets and glowing cafes are not just depictions but emotional responses to the urban experience. Despite a life marked by financial hardship, professional rivalry, and eventual obscurity due to historical tragedy, Lesser Ury's art endures. He remains the painter par excellence of Berlin, the artist who captured its fleeting moments and enduring soul in strokes of luminous colour and shadow. His work continues to resonate, offering a poignant glimpse into a lost world through a singular artistic vision.
