Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte: Kämpfe. Qualen der Liebe (Peter Schlemihl's Wondrous Story: Battles. The Agonies of Love) 1915

Curator: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte: Kämpfe. Qualen der Liebe", created in 1915, is a striking woodcut print. Editor: The emotional intensity practically leaps off the page. The stark, almost violent lines and the way the colours are blocked in...it feels like a raw nerve laid bare. Curator: Absolutely. Kirchner often explored themes of alienation and inner turmoil. Notice how the fractured planes of the figures echo the psychological fragmentation prevalent in Expressionist art. The recurring heart motif becomes less about love and more a symbol of the self being torn apart. Editor: It’s interesting you say that. Seeing the fragmented figure juxtaposed against what seems to be a lost, tender embrace forces me to contemplate how war, in 1915, impacted even intimate spaces within individuals. Curator: A potent reading. It's key to remember that Kirchner volunteered for military service around this time, an experience which profoundly affected his mental and physical health. The woodcut's visual language taps into a deeper historical memory – of individuals wrestling with experiences for which there are no simple symbolic solutions. The almost grotesque features signal emotional struggle and societal angst. Editor: Exactly. We see so often how artists process larger, seemingly insurmountable issues, in highly intimate, individualized forms. The red against black and blue makes it a potent statement about identity and mental health during times of crisis. Kirchner, through line and color, invites conversations surrounding conflict, both on societal and personal scales. Curator: It makes us confront difficult emotions directly, doesn’t it? The stark, unforgiving nature of the woodcut medium, combined with the image's starkness, refuses to let us look away. Editor: And in doing so, urges us toward empathy and solidarity. This image serves as a powerful document of a turbulent era and, also, asks enduring questions about who we are during and after conflict.