Park Lake in Dresden 1906

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this oil painting of a park lake in Dresden. The way he's built up the surface is really something. It's like he's not just painting what he sees, but also how he feels about it. The paint is applied in these short, choppy strokes, especially in the water, which makes it feel alive and shimmering. Up close, you can see the texture. It’s almost rough, and the colors blend together in a way that makes the whole scene vibrate. The red accents scattered throughout really catch your eye. They're like little sparks of energy. Look at how the brushstrokes follow the form of the plants on the right, giving them this sense of movement and vitality. It makes me think of Van Gogh, someone else who wasn't afraid to use color and brushwork to express his inner world. Art isn't just about representation. It's about feeling, about process, and about opening up new ways of seeing.