Calling war a "bloody carnival," Kirchner equated the horrors of World War I with the prophesies of destruction in the biblical Apocalypse. The horsemen symbolize conquest, war, famine, and death. The artist created pen and watercolor sketches in miniature on the backs of cigarette packages while he suffered a nervous breakdown, following a brief military stint.
Share this artwork:
![](http://www.tumblr.com/share/photo?source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getty.edu%2Fresearch%2Fexhibitions_events%2Fexhibitions%2Fww1%2Ftour%2Fimages%2F11a_fb.jpg&caption="The+Four+Horsemen+of+the+Apocalypse,"+Ernst+Ludwig+Kirchner,+1917.+Explore+15+artworks+from+the+Getty+Research+Institute+exhibition+"World+War+I:+War+of+Images,+Images+of+War."+#WWI&click_thru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getty.edu%2Fresearch%2Fexhibitions_events%2Fexhibitions%2Fww1%2Ftour%2F11.html)
