Port Scene (Hafenbild) 1908

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this stark and striking print, Port Scene, with wood. It's all about bold choices. He’s diving straight in with a vision, and then wrestling with the material to bring it to life. Look closely at the two dark figures in the foreground. Kirchner has carved them out of the block with these super decisive cuts, the white of the paper snaking in and around them to describe the bodies, and the edges of the water. This is an artist thinking through contrast. The sharp lines create a sense of immediacy and rawness, like a quick sketch carved into existence. Kirchner was part of a group called Die Brücke, and they were all about pushing boundaries and breaking away from tradition. You can see the influence of Edvard Munch in the emotional intensity, and maybe even a nod to the graphic power of German Expressionist woodcuts. It's like Kirchner is saying that art should be felt as much as seen, and that sometimes the most powerful statements are the simplest.