Curatorial Narrative In the early years of World War I, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s “Cocotte on the Street” captures the tumultuous spirit of 1915. Characterized by its linear brushwork and stark palette, this Gothic Revival-style print embodies the artist’s fascination with modernity and the dehumanizing effects of urbanization. The subject matter itself a lone figure, isolated in an anonymous street scene underscores Kirchner’s preoccupation with the disintegration of social norms amidst war-torn Europe. By emphasizing black as the dominant hue, Kirchner creates an atmosphere of foreboding, counterbalancing the vivid yellow accents that slice through the composition like shards of light.Enlarged to its actual size of 44×63 inches, “Cocotte on the Street” assumes a commanding presence that would be equally at home in a grand urban palace or a modernist chateau. The black and yellow palette resolves into an almost three-dimensional ch