Open full image Pin

Mountain Stream with Bathers

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

1934

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Early Modern Nude

Dominant colour

Mountain Stream with Bathers is a 1934 ink by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
When & what style?: 1934
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a rough, dark scene of two figures by a rocky stream. The lines are scratchy and uneven, like quick pencil strokes. One person stands on the left, arms down, while the other sits or kneels near the water, their body turned slightly away. The background looks like tangled brush or reeds, all drawn with fast, wavy marks. The whole thing feels half-finished, like a study rather than a polished work. Try looking up etching to see how artists use acid and metal plates to make these kinds of marks.