Eintreiben von Ziegen 1921

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this etching of goats being driven in 1921. It’s all about the energy of line. See how it scratches and vibrates on the surface? The whole thing is a jumble of marks, like a nervous system exposed. Look at the way he renders the animals. They're not just goats; they're bundles of frantic energy. The woman in the center, her dress a storm of etched lines, seems both a part of and at odds with this chaos. It's like she's trying to control something fundamentally uncontrollable. That scribbly quality reminds me a bit of Cy Twombly, but with a darker, more anxious edge. Kirchner isn't just depicting a scene; he's giving us a raw, unfiltered feeling. There’s no right or wrong way to interpret it, and that's what makes it so alive.