Half-length figure of a woman 1929

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a woman on paper, likely in 1929, and it now lives at the Städel Museum. The way Kirchner approaches line here feels like a dance— a loose, almost improvisational movement that hovers between representation and abstraction. He isn’t trying to capture the woman’s likeness so much as he’s trying to capture an idea of her. I’m drawn to the way the lines overlap and intersect, creating a kind of echo or double vision. The profile view seems to ghost behind the frontal one. It's like time folding in on itself. Each line seems to have a mind of its own. Look at the woman’s hair, it loops and curls, seemingly weightless. There’s an energy to this drawing that reminds me of Picasso, especially his willingness to play with form and perspective. Ultimately, it's a celebration of the medium and the endless possibilities of line.