Kokottenkopf with Feathered Hat 1910

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this 'Kokottenkopf with Feathered Hat' with what seems to be woodblock printing; the blocks of color and shape lock together like puzzle pieces. Look at the way he’s layered the color; it feels like he’s pushing and pulling the image into existence. That feathered hat—such flamboyant plumage rendered in blocks of red and black—it's practically vibrating with energy! I can imagine him carving away at the wood, figuring out how to capture the essence of this character with such simple means. What was Kirchner thinking, I wonder, when he made this print? Was he thinking of the Fauves and Matisse? I think all painters are having this big conversation across time. This print really speaks to the messy, intuitive process that I relate to. It’s like he’s not trying to give us a definitive statement. Instead, he’s inviting us into a space of ambiguity and possibility.