1915, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, The Drinker (Self-Portrait) -- Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg)
From the museum label: This painting is ranked as one of the leading avant-garde works of the First World War. By referencing African masks and Asian fashion, Kirchner emphasizes his position on society's margin, his freedom now threatened by conscription. The noxious green absinth glass before his eyes recalls Christ's chalice, embodying the hope of evading fate. Yet Kirchner's expression and posture betray his resignation, and even in the trusted space of his studio, the lines of perspective tilt.
1915, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, The Drinker (Self-Portrait) -- Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg)
From the museum label: This painting is ranked as one of the leading avant-garde works of the First World War. By referencing African masks and Asian fashion, Kirchner emphasizes his position on society's margin, his freedom now threatened by conscription. The noxious green absinth glass before his eyes recalls Christ's chalice, embodying the hope of evading fate. Yet Kirchner's expression and posture betray his resignation, and even in the trusted space of his studio, the lines of perspective tilt.