Head of a Young Shepherd with Hat 1920

Editor: This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Head of a Young Shepherd with Hat." It's hard to pin down a date for it. All those frenetic lines give me a sense of unease. What do you see in it? Curator: It’s like looking into the artist's soul, isn't it? The raw, almost frantic lines are so characteristic of Kirchner and his expressionist angst. What’s the shepherd thinking, I wonder? Editor: Maybe about the war? Or the city? Curator: Perhaps both. That hat could be a shield, or maybe a symbol of rural escape. I think Kirchner wants us to feel the tension between innocence and experience. It's a lot to think about. Editor: Definitely. Thanks for pointing that out.