The artwork “Mountain Forest” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, created between 1919 and 1920, exemplifies the Expressionist art movement. This oil on canvas painting measures 119.4 x 90.5 cm and is a landscape genre work that currently belongs to a private collection.
The painting itself is vibrant in color, with a strong sense of movement and emotion conveyed through the expressive brushwork and striking color contrasts. The forest scene is captured with bold, abstract shapes and a somewhat distorted perspective that is characteristic of Expressionism, which often aims to evoke an emotional response from the viewer rather than to depict reality in a literal sense. The use of thick, impasto-like brushstrokes gives the composition a lively texture, with the bright greens, purples, and blues dominating the canvas, perhaps suggesting the wild and uncontrollable forces of nature. The spirited application of paint and the vivid, emotive use of color are hallmarks of Kirchner’s work and are clearly showcased in this landscape painting.
