Self-Portrait 1931

This “Self-Portrait” was created by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner using oil paint on canvas. Looking at the way Kirchner’s paints, you can really see his process. The paint isn't blended to hide the marks; instead, the visible brushstrokes are part of the story, almost like he’s thinking out loud with his materials. The face is cleaved in two by shadow, a dark mask that throws the artist into sharp relief, and yet he still meets our gaze. I keep coming back to the yellow stretcher bars he is holding, these bright planks of hopeful colour. They are the tools of his trade, a promise of new canvases to come, and they feel like an optimistic gesture, even a little defiant. It reminds me of Matisse, but more raw, a little rougher around the edges. Art is so cool that way, isn't it? A constant conversation across time, artists responding to each other, building on what came before, but always with their own twist. In the end, it’s not about fixed meanings; it’s about feeling, experiencing, and staying open to possibilities.