Schleudertanz 1912

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this woodcut, Schleudertanz, at some point in his career, using gouges to carve into a block of wood. This is art as a process, right? The sharp, almost violent cuts create stark contrasts, and look how they give the image a raw, edgy feel, like the world is being torn apart. It’s not gentle, that’s for sure. Look at the way the dark, bold lines define the figures, especially the couple. The texture is rough, you can almost feel the wood grain, which adds to the intensity. It’s really visceral, this piece. These prints remind me a lot of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch who was working a bit earlier; both artists share this expressive approach, digging into the darker side of life, but Kirchner’s got this angular energy that's all his own. For me, art's all about these conversations, across time, across styles. There are no real answers, only more questions.