Trabrennen XI 

Max Slevogt sketched "Trabrennen XI" with graphite, a work that subtly captures early 20th-century German society’s fascination with speed and spectacle. Slevogt, living through a period of rapid industrialization and social change, often depicted scenes of leisure and entertainment. Look closely and consider what it meant to portray horse racing during this era. Horse racing was a pastime for the wealthy, a space where class distinctions were both performed and reinforced. Slevogt doesn’t offer a straightforward celebration; instead, the sketch's fleeting, almost ghostly lines create a sense of transience. This is not a static portrait, but a glimpse into a world of fleeting moments and shifting social hierarchies. Slevogt uses the sketch to almost question the glamour, hinting at the underlying tensions within a society caught between tradition and modernity. It invites us to reflect on how leisure and spectacle can both reveal and mask the complexities of identity and social structure.