Bildnis Ernst Gosebruch c. 1925

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this portrait of Ernst Gosebruch with coloured pencils sometime in the 1920s. Notice how the marks aren't blended; they remain distinct, almost like a map of the artist's movements. It’s like Kirchner is inviting us to witness the making of the image, to see the decisions and gestures that build up to the final piece. Look closely at the blue hatching that defines the shadows on Gosebruch’s face. The texture is almost palpable, isn't it? There’s a kind of raw energy in the way the pencil digs into the paper. It makes me think about how Kirchner used colour, not just to describe, but to evoke a feeling, to vibrate. The juxtaposition of the yellow in the middle of the face with the blue around it, does something kind of strange. It’s funny, this work makes me think of Francis Picabia, though their styles are different. There’s a shared interest in the process of art-making and the rejection of conventional representation. It’s like they’re both saying, "Here’s what I did, make of it what you will."