Davos in Winter. Davos in Snow 1923

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this painting, Davos in Winter, with oil on canvas, and looking at it feels like watching someone figure something out as they go. You can see how the pinks and blues of the snow are laid down with bold strokes, almost like he's wrestling with the landscape. There's this one spot near the bottom right where the pink kind of bleeds into the blue, creating this unexpected lavender hue. It’s like a little accident that ended up being perfect. The texture is smooth but there’s a real intensity to the colours which creates an emotional charge. Kirchner was part of the ‘Die Brücke’ group, and you can see that spirit of experimentation and emotional rawness that defined them. It reminds me of Munch, but with a kind of optimistic energy. These paintings aren’t trying to give you answers, it’s about embracing the question and making a start.