Portrait of a Woman c. 1913

Curator: This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s “Portrait of a Woman,” currently held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. What strikes you first? Editor: The boldness of the colors! A fiery red clashes with a cool blue, creating a rather unsettling feeling—almost as if she's caught between opposing forces. Curator: Indeed. Kirchner often used clashing colors to evoke psychological tension, reflecting the anxieties of pre-war Germany and the changing role of women. The stark lines, too, hint at a society in flux. Editor: I also notice the fur muff in her hands, a symbol of bourgeois respectability perhaps, yet rendered with a somewhat frantic energy. It speaks to a deeper unease, beyond mere social commentary. Curator: It invites us to contemplate the sitter’s position within a society on the cusp of immense change, with all the attendant contradictions and uncertainties. Editor: A potent reminder that even in portraiture, the symbolic language of art speaks volumes. Curator: Precisely, it goes beyond likeness to become a mirror reflecting broader cultural shifts.