Demetrius, sein Schwert ziehend und mit weit ausfallendem Schritt, nach links c. 1867 - 1868

Curator: Welcome. We’re standing before "Demetrius, sein Schwert ziehend und mit weit ausfallendem Schritt, nach links," which translates to "Demetrius, Drawing his Sword and Stepping Out Widely, to the Left." Paul Konewka sketched this piece in pencil around 1867-1868. It's held here at the Städel Museum. Editor: Oh, intriguing! It’s a whirlwind of energy caught in delicate lines. He's a hero captured mid-stride, maybe even mid-battle... all on this pale scrap of paper, this feels urgent, doesn’t it? Like a fleeting idea. Curator: Exactly. Demetrius is a figure steeped in Greek and Hellenistic symbolism - a warrior-king who embodies ambition and dramatic downfall. Konewka may have intended to capture a pivotal moment reflecting those archetypes. The way his sword is drawn hints at a confrontation. Editor: But everything is just suggested! We have a hero, maybe, sort of springing from a shrubbery. Look, a grid pattern anchoring him down! Is that a cage, or some purely decorative stage? He seems trapped but trying so hard to burst free. I wonder, is the grid life and order or death? Is he rising to a moment or trapped forever in a drawing, with a forever moment to change his mind or course of action? Curator: Perhaps the incomplete rendering intensifies the drama? The academic art style combines with the swift strokes suggest the internal struggle rather than just a physical scene, focusing more on his agency within a structured reality. The sparse landscape only supports that. It highlights his dynamic position within a pre-established pattern. Editor: Right! That contrast gets at the core of the human condition doesn’t it? A powerful dude with a sword but like us all bound to something. He and all his potential exist only in pencil dust and smudges, it’s quite sobering if you stare at it long enough. You wonder how powerful all this really is or ever was and then your focus snaps to, oh I'm late for coffee. What do you see looking back? Curator: Indeed. Considering how quickly empires rose and fell during the 19th century, that blend of power and fragility echoes familiar patterns throughout history. A potent symbol reminding us of eternal conflicts. Editor: Ultimately this warrior's urgent stance, still today makes me ponder fleeting strength, beauty, time itself! Now I feel melancholy let’s go!