Stehende Weibliche akte (Standing Female Nude) 1916

This etching, Standing Female Nude, was made by Lovis Corinth, and I just love how the artist fearlessly dove in with that needle. I can imagine Corinth, bent over the plate, his hand moving rapidly, scratching and cross-hatching. The ink clings to those lines, creating a velvety darkness that contrasts with the stark white of the paper. There's this raw, immediate quality to the marks that captures the weight and volume of the body, but also a vulnerability. I find myself wondering, what was the model thinking? Were they chatting? Or was there just a silent connection between artist and sitter. Corinth’s mark-making feels so physical; he's really using the etched line to build form, shadow, and light all at once. It reminds me of the bold strokes of other German Expressionists, like Kirchner, who were equally fascinated with the human form. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? Each one building on what came before, adding their own unique voice.