Priest Reading 1916

Lovis Corinth made this drawing of a priest reading with ink on paper. It’s all about the line here, isn't it? Look how he uses these scratchy, confident marks to build form and shadow. You can almost feel the pressure of the pen on the page, the speed of his hand. It’s pure process. And what a character study! The texture of the ink gives the priest’s face a kind of rough, lived-in quality. See the way the lines thicken and bunch around his eyes and mouth? There's a real sensitivity there. Think about the German Expressionists, like Kirchner or Heckel, with their raw, emotive lines and jagged forms. Corinth's got that same kind of energy, but maybe with a bit more tenderness. Art's just one big conversation, right? Each artist riffing off the last. And in the end, it's all about feeling your way through the world.