Nude Girl at her Toilette 1912

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a nude girl at her toilette with charcoal on paper. The process is really what's on display here, isn’t it? The charcoal lines are so free, almost like a quick sketch. It's fascinating how Kirchner uses just a few lines to suggest the form of the body, the curve of the hip, the tilt of the head. Look at that contour from her breast down her torso, like a single breath held for a moment. The texture of the paper shows through, adding another layer to the work, a sense of immediacy. You get the feeling Kirchner was more interested in capturing a feeling, a moment, than in creating a perfect likeness. It reminds me of Matisse, who also had this incredible ability to convey so much with so little. It’s like the art is inviting us to complete the picture, to participate in the act of seeing.