Im Bordell 1913 - 1920

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted ‘Im Bordell’ with oil on canvas, likely in 1905. Look closely, and you’ll see how the medium influences the artwork's appearance. Oil paint allowed Kirchner to blend colors smoothly, yet also capture the immediacy of a transient moment in a brothel. The energetic brushstrokes are evident throughout, particularly in the rapid depiction of figures, furniture and the interior, revealing the artist's process and imbuing the artwork with a sense of urgency. Kirchner's use of oil paints relates to a tradition of painting among fine artists, but his aesthetic is more akin to the raw, unvarnished look of works by his contemporaries in Die Brücke, who rejected the traditional values of the academy in favor of a direct expression, reflecting the social tensions of the era. In this work, Kirchner prompts us to consider the context surrounding ‘Im Bordell’, its materials, making, and its commentary on society and the commodification of human connection, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.