Albert Bloch – Peter Bloch Art

My great grandfather, Albert Bloch (1882-1961)–who exhibited with Der Blaue Reiter group (Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Paul Klee, among others) in Munich in the early 1900’s–has been tremendously influential in my art. Albert Bloch was the only American in the German Expressionist Blue Rider group. Although Albert Bloch exhibited with the German expressionists in Munich, he left Munich and settled in Lawrence Kansas, where he taught at the University of Kansas until he retired in 1947. Albert Bloch’s artwork took on new themes, in particular Christian themes, and his paintings began to incorporate more and more figurative work. Albert Bloch ultimately rejected the German Expressionist movement and much of Modernity and sought to connect his artwork to a larger tradition. Like my great grandfather, I seek to connect my work to a larger tradition. My technique and style is born out of a desire to portray the beauty found throughout my experience and connect it to a larger more universal beauty and tradition.