Der Kopf der Tänzerin (Mary Wigman) 1926

This etching of Mary Wigman by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who worked in Dresden in the early 20th century, feels like a window into a fleeting moment, doesn't it? Imagine Kirchner, hunched over the plate, scratching away with focused intensity. The lines feel so raw and immediate, like he's trying to capture not just Wigman's likeness, but her very essence. Look at the way he renders her hair – a flurry of frantic marks. You can almost feel the energy and movement radiating from her. And that slightly unsettling gaze—what was she thinking at that moment? Kirchner wasn't just drawing a portrait; he was trying to capture something deeper, something about the human condition. It reminds me a bit of other expressionist artists who were exploring the anxieties and alienation of modern life, but with a unique tenderness. It's like Kirchner is saying, "I see you, I feel you." And in that shared experience, we find a connection that transcends time and space.