Girl in tub c. 1913

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing, Girl in tub, with ink on paper. Look at the way he's built form with these bold, confident lines, it reminds us that artmaking is as much about the process as the subject itself. The stark black ink against the white paper gives a real sense of immediacy, like he's capturing a fleeting moment. The lines are wiry, almost nervous, yet they define the figure with surprising clarity. Notice the dark, concentrated marks that describe the figure's hair and torso, creating depth. For me, this piece is all about the energy of the line, like a conversation between the artist and the paper. Kirchner's work has echoes of artists like Edvard Munch, who also used expressive mark-making to convey raw emotion. It's this ongoing conversation between artists, across time and place, that makes art such a compelling human endeavor.