Hanns Bolz ⁽²⁾

Hanns Bolz—now there’s a name that deserves more time in the spotlight, or at least a few extra lines in art history books! Bolz was a German Expressionist and Cubist painter who seemed to live life as boldly as the strokes he used in his art. He was part of the avant-garde scene in Paris and Cologne during the early 20th century, rubbing shoulders with luminaries while creating works that were as intense and fragmented as the world around him.

His art often had a moody, angular quality, a reflection of the chaotic times in which he lived. You can almost hear the jazz and feel the existential dread radiating from his Cubist portraits. It's as if he took Picasso’s ideas, added a shot of espresso, and then sprinkled in a little German angst for good measure.

Unfortunately, Bolz’s life was cut tragically short in 1918 due to complications from mustard gas exposure during World War I. It’s a cruel twist of fate for an artist whose work promised so much and reflected the turbulence of an era. If he’d had more time, who knows? He might’ve ended up as a household name rather than an art world deep cut.