Dodo Seated 1910

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drypoint called ‘Dodo Seated,’ with sparse, delicate lines. The way he approaches mark-making feels like he’s searching, almost hesitant. There’s something vulnerable in that searching quality, which opens up a space for the viewer. The lines are thin and scratchy, not quite fully describing her form, but rather hinting at it. Take a look at her face. See how her eyes are just soft dashes, giving her a slightly melancholic look? And then the confident curve of her hat juxtaposed with the uncertain lines of her toes. There’s a tension between the assured and the tentative, and that’s where the drawing comes alive. Kirchner was part of Die Brücke, a group of expressionist artists, and you see that influence here. The raw honesty, the unpretentious way of seeing… It reminds me a little of Matisse, that beautiful simplicity, that search for the essence of form. It’s a conversation, an ongoing exploration.