Dr. Hans Bütow 1925

This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s drypoint etching of Dr. Hans Bütow. I'm immediately drawn to the intensity of line. Kirchner's scratching creates a raw, immediate kind of likeness. You can almost hear the scrape of the needle. His hand must have moved with such intention and force. I imagine that those lines around the eyes map out not just Bütow's face, but something about his character. Like other Expressionists, Kirchner wasn't after a perfect representation. It's a conversation, a feeling, a transfer of energy between artist and subject. The setting is barely there, dissolved in the field of the portrait. When I look at this, I wonder about the exchange between artists, the conversation, the arguments, the inspiration... it's not about finishing, but about continuing.