Bauernwagen mit Pferd 1922

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this painting of a horse and cart, probably in Germany, with oil on canvas, but when? There’s a kind of directness and a rawness in the brushwork that makes it feel immediate, like a snapshot of a moment. The blue shadows define everything – they give weight to the horse, solidity to the cart, and even shape the features of the driver's face. See how the cool blues contrast against the warmer greens and browns, creating a sense of depth and movement. The paint is applied in these visible strokes, they’re not trying to hide the process. I keep coming back to the horse’s head, with its simplified form and that intense gaze. It feels like Kirchner is really trying to capture the animal’s essence, reducing it to these essential lines and planes. It reminds me a bit of some of the Fauvist painters, like Vlaminck or Derain, who were also interested in using bold colors and simplified forms to express a raw, emotional response to the world. It's like a conversation between artists happening across time and space.