Staberhof Farm on Fehmarn I 1913

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted this scene, Staberhof Farm on Fehmarn I, with oil on canvas, and you can feel the medium's weight in the expressive brushstrokes. The image is a high-contrast landscape; yellow buildings pop from the canvas, framed by looming dark trees and a deep blue sky. The paint is applied with a loaded brush, thick in some areas, thin in others. I imagine Kirchner working quickly, trying to capture the essence of the place before the light changed. You can almost feel the cool evening air and hear the rustling of leaves. I wonder if he felt a sense of isolation or melancholy as he painted. The figures in the painting seem small and insignificant against the backdrop of the farm, like they're caught in the enormity of nature. Kirchner was part of a group of artists that really knew how to push painting in new directions, and here, he's in conversation with Van Gogh, Munch, the Fauves... all using the language of painting to show what they feel. It’s like an open invitation for us to respond in our own way.