Elbe Landscape Near Dresden 1909

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing with wax crayons, rendering a scene of the Elbe river near Dresden. The scene is set in Germany, a rising European power in the early 20th century. With the industrial revolution in full swing, the country was undergoing rapid social and economic changes. Kirchner, as a member of the expressionist group Die Brücke, sought to capture the raw and unfiltered emotions of this new era. The Elbe River was a vital waterway for trade and transportation, and this drawing may reflect the changing relationship between people and their environment. To understand this piece better, we might look at the history of Dresden as a centre of artistic production, the rise of expressionism as a challenge to academic art, and the ways in which artists responded to the rise of urban life. Ultimately, the meaning of this drawing lies in its historical context.