Bogenschütze 1920

Here we see Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s loose pencil drawing, ‘Bogenschütze’. I love how Kirchner uses these raw materials to sketch out an archer, capturing not just the figure but a sense of the effort, the strain, involved in pulling back the bowstring. The physical quality of the lines—some dark and emphatic, others light and tentative—really sings to me. Look at the network of lines that build up the figures’ trousers, they remind me of one of Giacometti's striding figures, all broken surfaces and energetic strokes. This drawing has a real immediacy, the light touch of blue in the faces is especially striking and adds to the spontaneity. Kirchner’s work, like that of the other Expressionists, is all about getting the feeling down, embracing a kind of emotional truth rather than photographic accuracy. It reminds us that art isn't just about what we see, but how we experience it.