Seated Girl 1910 - 1920

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted 'Seated Girl' using oil on canvas. Kirchner was a German expressionist painter, and a founder of the group 'Die Brücke' or 'The Bridge', in 1905. This group aimed to break away from academic painting, and create a new aesthetic that reflected modern life, but also drew inspiration from non-western art. 'Seated Girl' is a vibrant, yet unsettling painting. The model's skin is rendered in sickly yellow and green tones which sit in contrast to the reds and blues of the background. It challenges conventional ideas of beauty and representation by distorting the human form and using jarring colors. The girl's gaze seems to stare right through us. She may represent the alienation and psychological distress that was felt in Germany during the early 20th century. While Kirchner's work sought to capture the spirit of modern life, it also revealed the anxieties and tensions of a society on the brink of war.