Station in Davos 1921

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this frenetic little drawing of a train station in Davos using rapid strokes of black ink. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving quickly across the paper. I imagine Kirchner standing there, maybe a little cold, definitely alert, trying to capture the speed and the energy of the scene. Look at those scratchy lines forming the roof of the station – they’re not just describing a shape, they’re conveying a sense of urgency and movement. The train itself is a jumble of lines, yet you instantly recognize its bulky presence, the puff of smoke. It reminds me a bit of the futurists and their love of speed and modernity. Kirchner, though, brings his own anxious, expressionist edge to it. It’s like he’s not just drawing what he sees, but also how he feels, a kind of emotional shorthand. It’s a reminder that we’re all just scribbling down our impressions of the world, one line at a time.