Sitzendes Mädchen Mit Hut 1904

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a seated girl with a hat using colored crayons. See how Kirchner used these bright, almost clashing, colors to bring the girl to life. I can just imagine him grabbing one crayon after another, scribbling away, trying to catch the feeling of that moment. The blue lines that define her dress, the smudges of red on her face – it's all so immediate and raw. You can see the influence of artists like Van Gogh, right? That same urgency, that need to express something real, something felt. It’s funny how a simple portrait can be so full of emotion. I bet Kirchner wasn't just trying to paint a pretty picture. He was trying to capture something deeper, something about what it means to be alive, to be seen. And that, to me, is what makes art so endlessly fascinating.