Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a pivotal figure in German expressionism, played a founding role in the artists group Die Brücke ("The Bridge") in 1905. Rejecting traditional academic styles, they sought to forge a new path of artistic expression, bridging the gap between past conventions and contemporary ideas. Meeting initially in Kirchner's unconventional studio, which had once been a butcher's shop, the group embraced a bohemian lifestyle. Kirchner's space became a hub for experimentation, where social norms were discarded, and intimacy and nudity were embraced. Fritz Bleyl described it as "that of a real bohemian, full of paintings lying all over the place, drawings, books and artist’s materials — much more like an artist’s romantic lodgings than the home of a well-organised architecture student". However, Kirchner's artistic journey was marred by the rise of the Nazis, who labeled his work as "degenerate" in 1933, leading to the destruction of over 600 of his pieces.