Kämpfe – Qualen der Liebe 1915

This woodcut by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner features bold angular forms in blue, red, black and white; imagine the artist carving into the woodblock, wrestling with the material to make an image of internal turmoil. Kirchner was part of a group of expressionist artists called Die Brücke, or "The Bridge," who were interested in expressing intense emotional states through art. I can almost feel what it must have been like to create this image, carving away at the wood, again and again, to reveal the raw emotion beneath the surface. Notice how the jagged lines and clashing colors create a sense of unease and anxiety. It is like the artist is trying to capture something fleeting and intangible, a feeling that is both beautiful and painful. The red lips look like a wound. Kirchner's work reminds us that art can be a way to process our deepest emotions. I am inspired by his bravery and his willingness to be vulnerable in his work.