Königstein Railroad Station in the Taunus 

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this woodcut, Königstein Railroad Station in the Taunus, sometime before 1916. It shows a train steaming through a town, but instead of a celebration of industrial progress, it’s all sharp angles and dense shadows. This was Germany during the early 20th century, a place of rapid industrial expansion, but also growing social tensions. Kirchner was part of a group called Die Brücke, who were interested in expressing raw emotion and often critical of bourgeois society. Look at how the artist uses stark contrasts to create a sense of unease. The black and white emphasize the alienation of modern life, hinting at the social and psychological costs of modernization. To understand this work fully, you might research the history of German Expressionism or the social impact of the railways. Art like this serves as a reminder that history is not just about dates and names, but also about how people experienced the world and challenged the norms of their time.