Lesser Ury Champs-Elysees mit Arc de Triomphe 1928

Lesser Ury (1861–1931) is renowned as one of the leading modern artists in early 20th century Germany. His life and work is particularly associated with the city of Berlin. Lesser Ury was one of the first artists in Germany to depict modern city life. His favored subjects were diverse: rainy street scenes, bustling cafes, theaters, horse-drawn carriages, automobiles, women sewing, and floral still-lifes. Ury used postcards and photographs (in particular, views sent to him from Paris) to help him more closely study small details of the urban landscape. Though Ury strove toward realism, he enjoyed punctuating his work with bright dashes of color. Pastels were a favored medium, because Ury believed pastels allowed for careful control of light and color.