The Concert III 1921

Oskar Kokoschka made this lithograph, The Concert III, with ink on paper. Look at the hatching of the marks, this energetic, restless quality. Kokoschka is always thinking about process: he's almost restless, trying to get everything down at once. There's a great deal of energy in this drawing. The surface is alive with marks and the contrast between the light and dark gives it a real sense of drama. Notice the horizontal marks in the background, they create a claustrophobic space, like prison bars, against which the figure is silhouetted. The figure has their hand up to their face, are they thinking? Are they tired? The intensity of the gaze and the lines describing it are incredibly potent. Kokoschka had a long life and career, and this work reminds me of his earlier, more angst-ridden pieces. There is a great deal of art historical exchange here with artists like Munch, but Kokoschka brings something completely his own, embracing emotion and passion.