Nude Figure 1907

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this "Nude Figure" with oil paint, and, looking at it, you can almost feel him working through the image, not trying to hide the process but letting it be part of the story. The paint has a real physicality; you can see how he's layered it, especially in the background with that striking yellow that almost clashes with the lower greens and the blacks and blues of what might be the shadow of a door. I like that the nude is not hyper-real, but rather abstracted, so the viewer sees the essence of the figure. That drippy white towel is really something else! It’s like he took a brush loaded with paint and just let it run down, creating this sense of movement and fluidity. The raw energy reminds me of what late Picasso was up to! Both artists were pushing boundaries. I think this piece is more about an ongoing investigation than some kind of grand statement. And that's what makes it so engaging.