Sertigstraße im Winter 1924

Curator: Welcome. We’re looking at Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's “Sertigstrasse im Winter,” a woodcut he created in 1924. Kirchner, of course, played a significant role in the development of Expressionism. Editor: Brrr! It's making me shiver just looking at it! The stark black and white contrast gives it this intensely cold, isolated feeling, doesn’t it? Like a lost fairytale. Curator: Yes, the visual language of the Expressionists involved simplified forms and bold colours, to express emotions, and here Kirchner relies almost solely on form, but this print reflects Kirchner's evolving engagement with landscape, particularly during his time in Switzerland. He had moved to the Swiss Alps a few years prior. We can read this as a depiction of rural life, but more than that: this location had provided him with solace during an arduous period following the First World War. Editor: I find the graphic style kind of disquieting. The lines are so jagged and uncompromising, almost violent. But the longer you look, you notice there's still that sense of rhythm and composition; notice how the line in the sky mirrors the rhythm of mountain’s slopes, this keeps my eyes moving up. The artist, using negative space, builds the image, as though carving shapes from snowdrifts. I would describe the image more of a "moodscape" rather than just landscape. Curator: The Swiss landscape, particularly around Davos, had a profound impact on Kirchner’s later work and overall approach. Initially Kirchner associated himself and other expressionist artists with the Fauvism. Later his engagement was specifically about reclaiming woodcut style, to express a particular feeling in the landscape genre tradition. Editor: Looking at the people on the sled at the lower-center, they’re so small compared to the overwhelming mountain backdrop. It speaks to our place in nature. A fragile place. A dangerous, beautiful place. Curator: In its emphasis on subjective expression and exploration of modern alienation, his woodcuts challenged the status quo in the art world, opening up possibilities for artists in their attempts to engage directly with contemporary social issues and political statements. Editor: Absolutely, It has definitely given me something to think about. And, a serious case of the winter blues! Curator: Yes, I agree; its graphic visual imagery challenges one to pause, look, and explore Expressionism a bit deeper.