Portrait of Alfred Döblin c. 1913

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this portrait of Alfred Döblin with pencil on paper. What strikes me about this drawing is its immediacy. You can almost feel Kirchner's hand moving across the page, capturing Döblin's likeness with these quick, restless lines. Look at the way he renders the eyes—they're full of life, a little intense, but also thoughtful. The lines that define the face aren't smooth or gentle; they're sharp, angular, reflecting, perhaps, the inner complexity of the sitter. The texture of the paper is left bare, exposed, which adds to the drawing's raw, unfinished quality. It’s like Kirchner is saying, "Here's the essence, the core, without any frills." This directness reminds me a bit of some of Egon Schiele's portraiture, where the focus is on psychological intensity rather than mere physical representation. Kirchner’s willingness to leave things open, ambiguous, invites us to bring our own interpretations to the table.