Dune Landscape with a Curving Bay 1913

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this ‘Dune Landscape with a Curving Bay’ using the graphic medium of woodcut. You can really see that process at work here, the way he’s embraced the limitations and possibilities of carving into wood. Look at the lower section, the way he's rendered the vegetation. These aren’t delicate, wispy lines, but bold, assertive cuts that leave behind thick, black marks. Each line feels deliberate, like a statement, and that gives the whole image a kind of raw energy. The contrast between the black and white is so stark and uncompromising, and it really heightens the drama of the scene. There’s no shading, no soft edges, just pure, unadulterated mark-making. It reminds me of some of the German Expressionist prints, like those by Emil Nolde, who also used the woodcut medium to express raw emotion and social critique.