Two Nudes 1907

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this painting of two nudes, we don't know exactly when or with what materials. Look at the way the figures have come into being. I bet Kirchner thought it was a journey into the unknown, the figures emerging through trial, error, and intuition. The paint is put on with an intensity that reveals the artist’s emotional state. The surfaces are thick, and the colors vibrate against each other. The way he layered on the paint is amazing; it is as if the figures are emerging from the ground. The painterliness here is so potent. It's like Kirchner is saying something, the way those marks communicate feeling, intention, and meaning. When I look at this piece, I see a conversation with other painters and their nudes from art history. I think how artists are in this ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting embraces ambiguity allowing for multiple interpretations.