Dancer in the Mirror 1923

Max Pechstein made this woodcut called Dancer in the Mirror, and the cutting itself is the performance. The forms feel both highly planned, and totally improvised. Look at how the dancer’s skirt swirls around the frame, like she’s throwing herself into the act. The paint looks thick and textured, so you can imagine the feeling of pushing the gouge through a block of wood. The whole artwork shimmers with nervous energy. I wonder what Pechstein was thinking when he made this? Was he trying to capture the dancer’s vitality? I imagine him being totally in the moment. Every cut feels like it’s communicating feeling, intention, and meaning. I’m thinking about other expressionist artists, too, like Kirchner, and how their work captures a similar edgy, urban spirit. It's all part of an ongoing artistic conversation, inspiring creativity across time. Ultimately, this image has multiple interpretations; it allows for ambiguity.