Porträt Hugo Biallowons 1915

This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s portrait of Hugo Biallowons at the Städel Museum, and it’s a masterclass in mark-making. There's no date to it, but you can see how Kirchner is already thinking of artmaking as a process. Look at the texture! It's all surface, even the face. The dark ink feels almost dry, clinging to the paper, creating this gritty, almost distressed feel. You can almost see the hand moving, scratching, and pressing. I can see where the tool has dug into the paper. There's this incredible tension between the delicate lines and the raw, almost violent, application of the ink. The eyes are so intriguing, they have this heavy sadness. Like looking into the past. You can almost see the influence of Munch in the moodiness. It’s as if Kirchner is saying, "Here's a face, but it's also a map of experience, of feeling." It's a reminder that art isn't just about capturing likeness, it's about revealing something deeper.