Two Nudes at the Sea—Fehmarn 1912

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this watercolour painting titled Two Nudes at the Sea—Fehmarn, but we don't know exactly when. The expressive lines and pared-down forms remind me of a comic book sketch—so immediate and free. You can sense Kirchner just working it out, one thin stroke at a time. He’s gone back and forth, finding the figures in the landscape, as if they were always there. I can imagine him staring out at the water on the island of Fehmarn. Did he work on it outside, or later in his studio? Either way, there is this rawness in the application, the feeling of being right there, in the act of discovery. Those luscious greens and blues! Kirchner's definitely playing with Gauguin and maybe even Munch, but pushing it further, getting to something more emotionally raw. It’s like he's saying, "Here’s what it feels like."