Straßenbahn und Eisenbahn 1914

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this painting of trams and trains with oil on canvas. It's a wild and colourful composition dominated by greens and reds. The scene almost feels like it's emerging from a dream, shifting and alive. I can imagine Kirchner standing before the canvas, brush in hand, trying to capture the frenetic energy of the city. The material aspects of painting – the texture, the surface – really shape how we experience this piece. The paint is applied in bold, almost frantic strokes, creating a palpable sense of movement and urgency. Look at that sky, and then the solid block of the building on the left. Kirchner was part of a group called Die Brücke, and I always think of them as being in an ongoing conversation with other painters. It's like they were all bouncing ideas off each other, pushing the boundaries of what painting could be. I think it’s great how Kirchner embraced ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings of his work.