Dr. O. Kohnstamm 1915

This is Dr O. Kohnstamm, a lithograph made by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in 1915. The stark black and white rendering gives it this bold, graphic punch. You can see the lines are not just descriptive, they are expressive. I love that because it shows you that art making is a process. Look closely, and you'll see how the lines carve out Dr Kohnstamm's face. They build the shadows and light in a way that feels so immediate. The texture of the print seems rough and raw, like you could almost feel the grain of the stone. It’s particularly interesting how the lines around the eyes are so frenetic, they give the doctor this intense gaze. It makes me think of other Expressionist artists of the time, like Emil Nolde, who were also pushing the boundaries of printmaking. What is interesting is that there is no right answer to whether it is a successful likeness, or portrait of a man, or just an expression of a state of mind of the artist. It's all of those things.