Lot 201 Dα

At the latest, it was the expressionists who made the artist’s postcard into a fully valid element of their work; in doing so, they not only ennobled an important medium of communication but also used the diverse compositions of their postcards to convey concrete impressions from their studios or their frequent travels. In this context the limited format has to be seen less as a constraint than as a stimulus to concentrate on the technical and artistic means available to them.
Unlike the artist’s postcards of contemporaries like Max Pechstein or Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s postcards – particularly those displaying such a delicate quality – are only rarely offered on the market. This virtuoso ink drawing of two women resting casually on a sofa features masterful accents added in blue and red, and it strikingly demonstrates the young Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s standing as a draughtsman.