Heinrich Campendonk devoted his Expressionist art to the representation of harmony between man and beast, creation itself and the cycle of life. In addition to paintings, he developed watercolours, gouaches and woodcuts. Campendonk became a member of the group 'Der Blaue Reiter' and took part in their exhibitions. During these early years, his artwork was influenced by Franz Marc, August Macke and Wassily Kandinsky. After his military service, his style of painting was marked by large, calm surfaces, softly flowing forms, intensive luminance, and a lyrical, often fairytale-like atmosphere. From 1923 on, he lectured at Kunstgewerbeschule in Essen.
In 1926, he was appointed a professor at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, from which he was dismissed in 1933. In 1935, he became a professor at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. In 1937, his works were shown in the 'Degenerate Art' exhibition in Munich, while at the same time he represented the Netherlands at the Exposition Internationale in Paris with a glass window for which he was awarded the Grand Prix.
