Stadtlandschaft mit zwei Straßenbahnen 1909 - 1911

This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s “Cityscape with Two Trams,” a watercolor and charcoal on paper. I can almost feel the artist leaning over the paper, charcoal in hand, sketching the outlines of buildings, trees, and trams. The palette is so soft and muted, almost dreamlike. Those washes of brownish-yellow watercolor give everything a hazy, autumnal feel, like the whole scene is bathed in the late afternoon sun. What was he thinking as he made the sketch? Was he trying to capture a fleeting moment, a specific mood? The tram is rendered with such simple lines, but you know exactly what it is. Kirchner's signature at the bottom right, almost like he’s signing off on a secret pact with the viewer, inviting us into his world. It reminds me that painting is always a conversation, artists talking to each other across time. I feel like I can get into conversation with Kirchner, even now.