Dame Im Regen 1914

Here's a print by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, called Dame Im Regen, made with stark lines and a somber palette. I can almost feel the rain! The bold strokes – slashing lines in the sky – it’s like he's carving directly into our emotions. There's a push and pull; the black ink is so assertive, but the figures are also kind of ghostly, fading into the background. I wonder if Kirchner felt like a ghost himself? Looking at it, I can see a lineage with other expressionist painters, like Munch, who were trying to capture inner states, anxiety, and alienation. It’s like Kirchner is saying, "Here's what it feels like to be alive, raw and unfiltered." And that act of sharing, that's where the connection happens, across time, across experiences. It makes you think, doesn't it? About how we're all just walking around with our own umbrellas, trying to stay dry in the storm.