img307 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938)

The work presents a portrait rendered in a stark, angular style. A human face dominates the composition, occupying nearly the entire frame. The artist employed a limited palette – primarily black and a muted blue – to create a sense of dramatic contrast and emotional intensity.
Here we see a pronounced distortion of facial features; the eyes are large and intensely focused, conveying an impression of anxiety or perhaps suppressed rage. The mouth is slightly open, suggesting either a silent scream or a strained expression. Sharp, geometric planes define the contours of the face, breaking down traditional notions of naturalism in favor of a more fragmented representation.
The background is not merely decorative; it actively contributes to the overall mood. Vertical lines, etched with precision, create a sense of confinement and pressure, as if the subject is trapped within an invisible structure. These lines also suggest movement or agitation, further amplifying the feeling of unease. The blue areas are not uniformly applied but rather used selectively to highlight certain features – the eyes, the bridge of the nose – drawing attention to points of emotional vulnerability.
The composition’s power lies in its ability to evoke a complex range of emotions without resorting to narrative detail. It is less about depicting an individual and more about conveying a universal feeling of psychological distress or internal conflict. The deliberate simplification of form and the restricted color scheme contribute to this effect, stripping away extraneous elements to focus solely on the raw expression of emotion. One might interpret the work as a visual representation of alienation, trauma, or the burden of unspoken suffering.