Printmaker Essay – ‘Head of Ludwig Schames (Cabeza de Ludwig Schames)’, by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was a German printmaker, who was born in 1880 and died in 1938. This piece was made in 1918; its medium is woodcut, and printed onto smooth, cream woven paper. It is 60.9 x 40.9 cm in size.

This complex design I feel is both eye catching and interesting to look at. The way in which Kirchner has used a wide range of markings to create detail and a variety of tones to portray the shadows and where the light is hitting his face works extremely well.

In the foreground of this print, Kirchner has emphasised the features of this gentleman to illustrate his old age. He has achieved this by showing he has dark and tired looking skin around the eyes; he has created a sunken look to his face around the cheekbones, making him appear frail; and also the markings are illuminating his wrinkled and drooping skin.

From first glance at this piece my eye is immediately focused on the dark and mysterious eyes of this elderly man. I feel Kirchner has made the man have direct eye contact so that the viewer can connect to this piece, even if it’s as simple as getting an instant sense unease when looking at the intensity of his vacant gaze. In addition, when I first looked at this print I never noticed the naked woman standing behind him. She has minimal detail outlining the shape of her body and face but skilfully frames the left side of his face. This works well in giving the piece more depth instead of leaving it as a flat black background, and also helps to move your eye around the piece.