The Selling of the Shadow 1915

Editor: Here we have Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s “The Selling of the Shadow,” created in 1915. It’s a woodcut print. The angular shapes and contrasting colors create such a strong feeling of unease. What do you see in this piece, especially in how it’s put together? Curator: The tension arises precisely from the formal arrangement. Note how Kirchner employs stark, angular lines. Observe how this breaks the figures and the city landscape down into fragmented forms, almost Cubist in their reduction, yet distinctly Expressionist in their emotional impact. It refuses conventional representation, favouring instead a heightened, subjective expression. Do you perceive how this intensifies the disquieting atmosphere you mentioned? Editor: Definitely. The lack of smooth transitions between colors and shapes really amplifies that sense of instability. The figures seem almost trapped within these sharp, dark lines. Could this stylistic choice also suggest meaning? Curator: Indeed. Consider the application of the woodcut technique. The medium itself, with its inherent roughness and the difficulty in achieving fine detail, becomes integral to the work's message. The artist's struggle to control the material mirrors the sense of societal unease, thus linking form with content. Note how the colour choice – particularly the use of contrasting and non-naturalistic colours such as deep blacks and violets. Editor: That’s a very interesting way to view it, relating the medium’s characteristics to the message itself. It adds another layer to understanding Kirchner’s anxieties during that time. I’ll definitely be looking at the construction of artworks differently now. Curator: By analyzing the inherent qualities of the artwork itself—the lines, shapes, colours, and textures— we access profound meaning. Hopefully you've come to think a little differently about Kirchner’s masterpiece!