Der Verkauf des Schattens 1915

This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s woodcut, Der Verkauf des Schattens. What strikes me is the rawness, how it's all jagged edges and sharp contrasts. It's like he attacked the wood, carving out these figures with a vengeance. You can almost feel the physical effort, the process laid bare. Look at the colours. It's not subtle; it's a punch in the face. The bold reds, blues, and blacks aren't trying to be pretty, they’re trying to convey something urgent, something visceral. And the textures, oh man, the textures! You can see the grain of the wood in those black areas, the way the ink sits on the surface. It's almost sculptural, you know? Now, check out the figures on the right, with the jagged white lines, so graphic! Kirchner is playing with this idea of surface and depth, flatness and volume. You can’t help but think of Edvard Munch and his angst-ridden figures. They’re both wrestling with similar demons, trying to capture something raw and unvarnished about the human experience. It's a conversation across time, a dialogue between artists trying to make sense of the world.