Lying nude c. 1923

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a lying nude with ink on paper, and when you look at it, you can see the fast, gestural marks of the brush. It feels like he's trying to capture a feeling. I can imagine him sketching quickly, trying to get the pose down before it shifts. The woman's long hair, rendered with thick, decisive lines, contrasts with the more frantic scribbles around her. What was he thinking as he made this? Was he trying to capture a sense of ennui? I love how he's used ink washes to suggest depth and shadow, especially around her face and body. The blankness in her expression feels like a window into the artist's own state of mind. The raw energy and emotion in this piece are so direct, so immediate. I think of other expressionists of the time, like Munch, or later artists like Basquiat. It feels like a conversation across time and media. It’s like he’s inviting us to feel the emotional resonance of that moment.