Brandenburg Gate 1929

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted the Brandenburg Gate with oil on canvas; we don't know exactly when. What strikes me first is the way he flattens the space with these almost clashing colors, blues and greens bumping up against each other. It’s like he's not trying to trick you into seeing depth, but rather showing you how he sees. Look at the way he renders the figures, those little dashes and flicks of paint suggesting crowds of people. There’s one particular blob of dark blue on the lower left that makes up the shadow of a bus. It’s so simple, so direct, yet it holds the whole scene together. You can almost feel the brushstrokes, the physicality of the paint. Kirchner reminds me a little of someone like Marsden Hartley, who also used these bold, simplified forms to capture the energy of a place. Ultimately, the painting isn't about capturing a likeness of the Brandenburg Gate, but more about capturing an experience, a feeling, a way of seeing. And that, for me, is what art is all about.