Nächtliche Berliner Straßenszene 1926

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner drew this sketch of a nocturnal Berlin street scene with pencil. The scratchy, anxious lines show us art-making as a process of discovery. You can almost feel the energy of the city, the hurried pace of the figures, the starkness of the light. Kirchner's marks are raw and immediate, not trying to prettify the scene, but capturing the essence of the modern experience. The repeated use of vertical lines gives the impression of a crowd, as if the viewer is caught in a throng of anonymous figures. It is this directness and simplicity that makes Kirchner’s sketches so powerful. This piece makes me think of the gestural drawings of Cy Twombly, who similarly used line to convey emotion and energy. It’s a reminder that art is not just about what you see, but what you feel, and how the artist translates that feeling into form.