Kopf Gustav Schiefler I 1910

This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s print "Kopf Gustav Schiefler I," and it's all about the dance of the line. Kirchner's process is laid bare, a direct conversation with the plate, isn’t it? I mean, look at the marks around the eye; it's like he’s carving into the very essence of seeing, of looking. The lines are so raw, so immediate, and they give this feeling of a fleeting moment captured. It's not about perfection, it's about the energy of the line, the texture, the physicality of the medium. The contrast between the sharp, decisive lines and the soft, almost smudged areas, creates a real tension, doesn’t it? It reminds me a little of some of Picasso’s more pared back linework, but with a rougher, more urgent feel. Ultimately, it’s the way the artist translates the world into a language of marks that really speaks to me – a language of feeling and perception.