Reclining Nude (Isabella) 1906

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a reclining nude, Isabella, with charcoal or something like it. Just look at the boldness of the strokes, right? There is no messing, there is no fussing. In one way, that directness speaks to the Expressionist movement he was part of, but in another, it feels really personal to Kirchner. What must it have been like to live inside his head? The stark contrasts of dark and light give the figure a sculptural feel, like he was carving out the form from the whiteness of the paper. The more I look at this drawing, the more I feel the sheer energy and intensity of the artist's gaze, translated into a flurry of marks. It reminds me of other artists, like Munch, who are able to convey a sense of inner turmoil through their art. They teach us that it’s okay to feel all these feelings and that other people feel them, too. What a gift!