Bärtiger Alter (Original Title) 1906

This stark woodcut of a bearded old man was created by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Look closely at the way Kirchner attacks the woodblock. There’s something both brutal and tender about the way the image is constructed. The printmaking process is front and center. We can see the marks of the gouge or knife that carved away at the wood to create this powerful portrait. The surface is rough and uneven, a testament to the physicality of the medium. Notice the network of lines etched into the man's face, each one a deliberate cut that captures the weight of his years. The background has this great, slightly off-kilter grid, a pattern of small squares that seem to vibrate behind the figure. The crude directness of the carving and the stark contrast between black and white create a sense of immediacy, a sense of urgency that is palpable, something you also see in the work of Munch. It’s a reminder that art is not about perfection, but about expression.