Windmühle 1908

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this watercolour, Windmühle, at an unknown date, using loose washes of colour to depict a windmill in a landscape. The way Kirchner works with colour here is interesting; he lets the pigment pool and bleed, allowing for these juicy, unpredictable interactions. See how the pink of the sky seeps into the yellow of the windmill? It’s like he’s inviting the landscape to participate in its own representation. Look at the thick, dark blue outlines he uses to define the forms. They aren't just boundaries; they're like energized contours that seem to vibrate. Notice the foreground. Do you see how the colors blend and run together? It's less about depicting a specific place and more about capturing a feeling, an atmosphere. This reminds me of Emil Nolde who used watercolor to similar expressive effect, both artists pushing the medium’s fluidity. Ultimately, this piece isn't about precision. It's about Kirchner's engagement with the act of seeing and feeling the landscape, making something new from the world, in the process.