Two Women 1911 - 1912

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s ‘Two Women’ is a vivid painting rendered with bold, expressive brushstrokes, a kind of emotional X-ray of the artist's state of mind. I can imagine Kirchner standing before the canvas, a loaded brush in hand, wrestling with color and form. The two figures emerge, not as portraits, but as emotional presences conjured through paint. See how the heavy outlines trap the figures, pushing them forward. He’s corralling feeling, laying down hues of yellow and red, juxtaposed against the somber weight of black. The colours seem to clash and harmonize all at once, creating a sense of tension and release. Kirchner's colour choices and his loose brushstrokes make you feel he's reaching into the canvas, pulling out the women from his subconscious. Painters always talk to each other across time, through their handling of paint, and their choices of subject matter. Kirchner knew he was adding to this dialogue, creating a space for future questions to be asked and answered.