Nervous Heads 

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this haunting drawing, Nervous Heads, with ink on paper. Kirchner, a German expressionist, lived through both World Wars, witnessing first hand the psychological toll of war and societal anxiety. This drawing pulses with that anxiety. The faces, rendered with frantic, broken lines, seem to dissolve into the white of the paper, evoking a sense of unease and alienation. Kirchner captures something of the fragmented modern psyche. The harsh angularity of the figures suggests inner turmoil, a collective breakdown reflected in each individual portrait. During times of great societal upheaval, the individual can feel lost, adrift. Kirchner taps into this deep-seated human experience, reminding us that beneath the surface of everyday life lies a fragile and vulnerable core.