Liegender weiblicher Akt auf einer Ottomane c. 1924

Here is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's Liegender weiblicher Akt auf einer Ottomane, made using coloured pencils. Kirchner's strokes feel so urgent, like he's racing to capture a fleeting moment. I’m drawn to the rawness of this piece. You can see the coloured pencil skipping across the page, laying down these broken lines that somehow coalesce into a figure reclining on a couch. The colours are bold, almost jarring – reds, blues, purples, and yellows clashing and vibrating against each other. Notice the way Kirchner uses these colours not to describe reality, but to evoke a feeling, an emotion. Look at the network of purple and red lines that create the contours of the woman’s body. They’re not precise, but they’re full of energy, capturing the weight and warmth of the flesh. There’s a tension here, a sense of unease, that reminds me of Munch, but with a kind of nervous energy all its own. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be pretty, it can be raw, messy, and unsettling.