Railway in Dresden 1909

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a railway in Dresden. You can see the charcoal swirling on the page, trying to find the forms, not wanting to settle too much. I can imagine Kirchner out in the city with his sketchbook, feeling the energy, wanting to grab the feeling of the place before it disappears. He’s using a simple material - just paper and charcoal - but he’s making something that’s so full of life. I like the way the lines aren’t too precious. They loop and dart. It’s like he’s thinking with the charcoal, seeing where it takes him. I see other artists in this too - like Rodin’s drawings - unfinished, tentative, a record of seeing. It makes me think about how artists are always looking and learning from each other, even across time. It is the push and pull that makes art keep moving.