Portrait of Alfred Döblin 1912

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this portrait of Alfred Döblin, and it's like he’s jabbing at the canvas with a brush loaded with blues and purples. I can almost feel Kirchner’s frustration, or maybe it was excitement, as he worked. Look at the way he’s built up Döblin’s face, stroke by stroke, like he was constructing it out of pure feeling. The angular lines and the almost violent application of paint, it's not just a portrait, but a statement. I wonder what Döblin thought of it? It makes me think about the German Expressionists, all that raw emotion and psychological intensity. I love how painting becomes a way to really see someone, not just their face, but their soul. It’s like Kirchner is saying, 'Here’s Döblin, but here's also how I feel about Döblin, about painting, about the world.' It’s not about perfection. It’s about honesty.