“Dodo with Large Fan” is a work by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, dated 1910. This oil on canvas painting embodies the Expressionist movement, with dimensions measuring 151.9 by 73.8 cm. The genre of the artwork is nude painting (nu), and it is housed in a private collection. Reflective of Expressionist aims to convey emotional experience rather than physical reality, this painting presents a striking, vivid depiction of the human form.
In this depiction, you observe a nude female figure, presumably Dodo, holding a large fan adorned with a floral pattern that stands in contrast to the darker tones of the background. The woman’s pose is dynamic, with her body twisted to the side and one leg crossing over the other, providing a sense of movement. Kirchner’s use of bold, contoured lines and exaggerated form is evident, highlighting the figure’s angular limbs and features. The painting features a rich palette of colors including blues, reds, and greens, which are applied in a manner that seems to disregard the naturalistic rendering of light and shadow, typical of the Expressionist approach where color often serves an emotional or expressive purpose rather than a descriptive one. The dark background serves to foreground the figure, while the use of stark contrasts and simplified forms are characteristic of Kirchner’s style, creating an artwork that is raw, immediate, and intensely personal.