Großstadtstraße mit Trambahnen c. 1926

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing of a big city street with trams using colored pastels and ink. Look at that violet, it is a little like Munch, but Kirchner's got this nervous energy. I wonder if he found it hard being in the city, the buildings looming over, the trams whizzing by? The street almost seems to be swallowing that little man. The strokes of pastel create an image that looks like it's moving, like a memory flashing by. I love how he uses color to create depth, those purples and yellows clashing, making your eyes dance around the image. It's like he's trying to capture not just what he saw, but how he felt seeing it. You get the sense of the city as this chaotic, thrilling, slightly overwhelming place. It feels so modern, even now. Artists keep learning from each other, riffing off ideas, and pushing painting in new directions.