Head of Ludwig Schames
1918
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner carved this intense portrait of his friend, Frankfurt art dealer Ludwig Schames, in 1918. The jagged, aggressive lines and stark black-and-white contrast are hallmarks of German Expressionism, a movement that prioritized raw emotion over realistic beauty. Kirchner was a founding member of Die Brücke (The Bridge), and his woodcuts often feel like they were hacked out of the block in a frenzy of creative energy. The wild, scratchy texture of Schames's beard almost seems to vibrate off the page, capturing the anxious, turbulent spirit of the World War I era.
- Technique
- Woodcut
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