Auf dem Bett sitzendes Mädchen 1908

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this drawing, called "Girl Sitting on a Bed", with charcoal. There is something so immediate about charcoal. It feels like you can see the speed of the hand that made this piece. Kirchner’s marks are so quick and decisive, he isn’t trying to finesse anything. Look at the way he has used the side of the charcoal to create the shadows on the bed, it feels very gestural, like he is trying to capture a feeling or a moment. The lines are so raw and expressive, it's like he's not just drawing what he sees but how he feels, a psychological state as much as a physical one. Take a look at the girl's boots, aren't they fabulous? You can see so much about her character in the way he has described them! You know, Kirchner’s work always reminds me a little of Munch. Both artists were so good at capturing raw, unfiltered emotion in their work, right? Art is just an ongoing conversation, isn’t it?