This is a work of discordant energy; it clamors for the attention of the casual
observer in overlapping ways. Progress observation builds an impression of
disquiet and deceptive simplicity. There is a deliberate effort to distort
edges and forms to align in an angled manner that gathers energy towards the
top, compresses it downward, and releases pressure toward and out of the bottom
of the canvas. When this strategy is merged with the distorted perspective,
tipping of the ground, and formal flatness, a distinct impression of missing balance
remains. One of the harmonizing measures is the designed manner values arranged
and sparkle across the composition.
The figures are clad in ostentation, but this is effectively the only objective trait they carry. As mentioned before, their forms are subjectively stylized and angled, and they carry repeated mincing, sharp expressions and poses. The use of color is subjective and dramatically contrasting. The pinks and blues share value, but their hues, and that of the purples, clash on the canvas. As formal measures, they are all “divas”, which is not healthy for compositional moderation. When blacks and whites, values of equal subjective energy, are added to the fold, near-chaos is sparked in the composition. With this sense of discord, final primary focus probably settles on the faces of the two women because of the scarcity of white, which in this case is used to highlight them.
Diminution hints and plastic depth, but forms and textures are as decorative as the colors. Space is shallow; when the combination of formal choices is globally considered, Kirchner seems to be saying that this is the condition of the subject’s characters. The primary subjects are actually prostitutes, as evidenced by the enormous feathers in their hats and lining of their jackets. The feminine tone of this composition can only be regarded as cynical, but not toward women in general. The men seem to be clones, and this combination of figures, and the way they are rendered, reveals Kirchner’s opinion of metropolitan life more than anything. One of the great tragedies of this masterpiece is its subjective documentation of ostentation in Germany a year before World War One.
The figures are clad in ostentation, but this is effectively the only objective trait they carry. As mentioned before, their forms are subjectively stylized and angled, and they carry repeated mincing, sharp expressions and poses. The use of color is subjective and dramatically contrasting. The pinks and blues share value, but their hues, and that of the purples, clash on the canvas. As formal measures, they are all “divas”, which is not healthy for compositional moderation. When blacks and whites, values of equal subjective energy, are added to the fold, near-chaos is sparked in the composition. With this sense of discord, final primary focus probably settles on the faces of the two women because of the scarcity of white, which in this case is used to highlight them.
Diminution hints and plastic depth, but forms and textures are as decorative as the colors. Space is shallow; when the combination of formal choices is globally considered, Kirchner seems to be saying that this is the condition of the subject’s characters. The primary subjects are actually prostitutes, as evidenced by the enormous feathers in their hats and lining of their jackets. The feminine tone of this composition can only be regarded as cynical, but not toward women in general. The men seem to be clones, and this combination of figures, and the way they are rendered, reveals Kirchner’s opinion of metropolitan life more than anything. One of the great tragedies of this masterpiece is its subjective documentation of ostentation in Germany a year before World War One.
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