Der Verkauf des Schattens 1915

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this intriguing woodcut, "The Sale of Shadows," with stark colors and angular forms. I love the bold, almost violent carving—you can almost feel the artist wrestling with the wood, trying to find a way to make it speak. Imagine him, wrestling with his own shadows. The sharp, jagged edges of the figures create this unease, a tension, a feeling that something is not quite right. It’s like the figures are fractured, broken apart by the chaos of the world. I see Kirchner working out a way to represent the anxieties of modern life, the alienation and the sense of unease that comes from being surrounded by so many people, yet feeling so alone. Artists like Kirchner are always asking questions, not just about the world around them, but about the very nature of seeing.