Der Ritter (The Knight) 1914

Lovis Corinth made "The Knight," a print, and what strikes me is how he dives right into the mood with these scratchy, urgent lines. The texture is everything here. Look at how the light catches on the woman's skin, the tiny pits and burrs that create this overall sense of unease and ambiguity. It's like the image is barely held together, which adds to the overall feeling of tension. Corinth doesn't hide the process; each mark feels raw and unfiltered. It’s all there on the surface. Now, check out the knight's face, how those deep lines around his eyes and mouth give him this fierce, almost desperate look. It reminds me a bit of some of the prints of Munch, that same grappling with inner turmoil. Ultimately this piece feels like less of a statement, and more of a question.