Reiter im Grunewald 1914

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this evocative print, Reiter im Grunewald. The starkness of the black ink reminds me of woodcuts. I imagine him in his studio, wrestling with the woodblock, carving out these riders and horses, these dark, looming trees. There’s a sense of urgency, a need to capture the scene quickly, maybe before it disappears, like a dream fading in the morning light. I can see him scraping away at the surface, the pressure of his hand, the bite of the tool. The figures emerge from the darkness, ghostly and ethereal. It feels so raw and immediate, capturing the essence of movement, of being in nature, of the fleeting moment. Kirchner, like other Expressionist artists, used this to convey emotion. He's not just showing us a scene, he's inviting us to feel it, to experience the world through his eyes. It's a reminder that art isn't just about representation, it's about expression, about finding new ways to see and to be.