Open full image Pin

Head of Dr. Bauer

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

1933

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Early Modern Portrait

Dominant colour

Head of Dr. Bauer is a 1933 ink by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
When & what style?: 1933
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This is a bold, blocky portrait of a man’s head. His face is split down the middle—one side is orange with a mustache, the other is a darker red-brown. The eyes are big and blue, but the nose and mouth are simplified into sharp lines. His hair is drawn as thick, wavy strokes, and he wears a white collar with a purple tie. The colors here are flat and bright, like blocks of paint. The artist used different shades to show light and shadow, but kept everything sharp and angular. It looks like it was carved into wood before being printed. Try looking up woodcut to see how this printmaking technique works.