Interieur 1915

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted this raw interior scene, now here in Munich, with oil on canvas. It's so gestural! See how Kirchner uses color to create a feeling as much as a space. The walls are not just red, but alive with strokes of orange and crimson, setting a restless mood. Then you have the cool blues and greens creating this odd tension. The paint is thick, you can see every stroke, like the artist was wrestling with the scene. Look at the little dog in the foreground. It's painted with such quick, almost violent strokes. It's like Kirchner is saying that even the most mundane things are full of hidden energy. His work reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, both of them pushing the boundaries of representation. Ultimately, it’s this energy, this refusal to settle, that makes Kirchner so compelling. There are no answers, just a lot of questions.