Portret van een onbekende man 1890 - 1938

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this stark portrait of an unknown man as a woodcut. The sharp, angular lines carve out a face that seems both present and fragmented. Looking closely, you can almost feel the resistance of the wood as the tool digs in, creating this incredibly graphic image. The texture is so raw, it feels like you're touching the block itself. The contrast between the black ink and the pale paper intensifies the emotional weight, giving the man a sense of depth and mystery. That single eye, staring out with such intensity, feels like a window into a soul grappling with something profound. It's this tension that gives the piece its lasting power. Kirchner's woodcuts share a kinship with the Expressionist prints of Munch, both artists exploring the anxieties of the modern world through bold, unflinching imagery. Art like this reminds us that it's okay to embrace ambiguity, to find beauty in the raw and unfinished.