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Untitled

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

1929

ink

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Untitled is a 1929 ink by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, held at Museum of Modern Art.

Who painted this?: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
When & what style?: 1929
Where can I see it?: Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This print shows a hunched figure with a long neck and oversized hands, sitting in a chair. The background is filled with vertical lines, almost like bars or blinds. The face is simple but expressive, with big eyes and a strong jawline. The figure’s posture looks tense, with one hand gripping the chair arm. The artist used bold black lines against a light background, which makes the shapes stand out sharply. This kind of printmaking is called woodcut, where the artist carves into wood and then presses ink onto it. Try looking up woodcut to see how this technique works.