Dancers and Performers (Page from a Sketchbook) c. 1911

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this page from a sketchbook with graphite. Look at these lines! They are so sparse, yet so full of life and energy. I can imagine Kirchner, maybe at a smoky cabaret, quickly trying to capture the essence of the dancers with just a few strokes. There’s a real sense of movement here, like the figures are constantly shifting and changing, never quite still. I wonder what Kirchner was thinking as he drew these lines. Was he trying to capture their joy, their abandon, or something else entirely? I think about the way he uses these sharp, angular lines to suggest the dancers' bodies, creating a sense of tension and dynamism. It reminds me a little of other artists who were working at the time, trying to capture the raw energy of modern life. It’s like he’s passing on a live wire and letting the feeling speak for itself.