Tower Room. Self Portrait with Erna 

Curator: Welcome. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, known for his poignant contributions to German Expressionism, is the artist behind the painting, Tower Room. Self Portrait with Erna. It’s rendered in oil paint. Editor: This strikes me as unsettling. There is something about the tension created between the seated, clothed figure, presumably the artist, and the standing nude that gives me pause. Also the room's enclosed feeling is unsettling, even claustrophobic. Curator: Expressionist artists like Kirchner were concerned with representing the world through subjective perspectives and emotions. There's definitely an emotional intensity that is clear here. The gaze of both figures, in relation to each other but also the world beyond the room, and the windows within the room—these all construct a specific sort of feeling in the viewing of this work. What materials stand out to you as a viewer? Editor: It looks like oil on canvas but it's applied almost raw. There's a roughness, a deliberate crudeness to the surface that feels significant. The paint isn’t trying to hide itself. This challenges our idea of painting that should present an illusion of reality. And in terms of its historical context, this aesthetic may stand as a critique of the artistic establishment of its day. Curator: Absolutely. Looking at Kirchner’s biography is equally compelling to help understanding this painting. His experience in World War One had profound impacts on his emotional life. He ended up dealing with breakdowns and sought refuge in Switzerland. Later his art was deemed “degenerate” by the Nazi party and his psychological problems took over and he took his own life. Understanding this personal and institutional rejection of an artist such as Kirchner is important context. Editor: So much is revealed in his application of oil paint. In our contemporary world, this visceral aspect might translate to thinking about other sorts of art that bring into question our ideas about what making something beautiful or acceptable in a traditional setting. In Kirchner's work, what is important is to not gloss over an intensity that would be glossed over in most works of art in general. Curator: Indeed. Seeing Tower Room as both a social object, made in a particular place at a particular time by a specific artist with personal struggles that intersected with social pressures, provides a wider appreciation for the painting's depth. Editor: By considering not just what the image shows but how it was physically brought into being, its visceral nature, and its social history, we gain an appreciation not only for Kirchner’s genius but how material conditions can produce important cultural moments.