Street in Warsaw Possibly 1915

Ernst Barlach made this drawing, Street in Warsaw, using graphite, which means he was thinking through line, shadow, and form. Look at the way Barlach uses the graphite, those smudgy, almost desperate marks. It's like he's trying to capture something fleeting, something on the verge of disappearing. It’s a process of feeling his way through the image. The lines aren't just describing, they're constructing, building up the weight and texture of the scene. There is so much sadness in those marks. Take the figure at the bottom, head bowed. The graphite bunches up, heavy with shadow. You can almost feel the weight of her grief, the burden she carries. This drawing is all about empathy and understanding, the conversation of sharing in someone else's struggle. It reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who used printmaking to explore themes of poverty and war. Art isn't just about beauty; it's about bearing witness, about engaging with the messy, complicated realities of the world.