Dancers and Performers (Page from a Sketchbook) c. 1911

This is a page from a sketchbook by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, made with a few simple pencil lines. Kirchner, part of the ‘Die Brücke’ group, used mark-making to explore expression. Look at how the lines dance! Thin, quick, almost nervous. You can feel the energy of the performers in the strokes, right? It’s just a sketch, but it captures movement and feeling with such economy. The lines aren't precious, they are immediate, capturing a fleeting moment. That single, long stroke arcing upwards – is it an arm reaching, or maybe just a gesture? It reminds me of Matisse’s line drawings, so free and full of life. Ultimately, it’s not about perfection, but about the joy of seeing, of feeling, and getting that down on paper. Kirchner’s sketch invites us to embrace the unfinished, the imperfect, and to find beauty in the simplest of marks.