Knave with sweeties 1918

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this painting, Knave with sweeties, with oils, but when, we just don't know. Looking at this image, the color and application create a sense of unease; the painting feels unresolved. Kirchner’s process feels immediate. It's like he's wrestling with the image, trying to pin it down, but it keeps slipping away. The paint application is pretty direct and raw and there is very little blending. Each brushstroke is visible, and Kirchner almost carves into the surface of the paint. I like the way that Kirchner places the figure in an ambiguous space; the figure is not in a place, but a feeling. See how he bends forward, his gaze fixed on the sweeties in his hand? It's as if nothing exists outside of that moment. Kirchner seems related to artists like Francis Bacon, in that he doesn’t give us answers. Instead, he offers a space for reflection and questioning.