Nude in Orange and Yellow 1930

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this oil painting, Nude in Orange and Yellow, and it’s all about how color becomes form. The way he lays down those saturated hues – the electric orange, the pale yellows, and blues – they aren’t just colors, they’re sculpting the figure and the space around her. Look at the way the orange figure bleeds into the background, how the lines aren't precious, but bold and assertive. There’s a real urgency to the brushwork, a sense of capturing a fleeting impression. It’s like he’s not just painting what he sees, but what he feels, a raw, visceral response to being in the world. Kirchner's work reminds me of Matisse, that same fearlessness with color, but Kirchner’s got this edge, a nervous energy that’s all his own. For him, painting was about capturing the intensity of modern life, with all its beauty and its anxieties. He leaves so much open for interpretation. It’s like he’s inviting us to finish the painting ourselves.