Doppelbildnis_ Stehende und Sitzende 

Curator: This drawing, held at the Städel Museum, is entitled "Doppelbildnis: Stehende und Sitzende," a double portrait by Otto Scholderer, and it appears to be rendered in pencil. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: The grid beneath the figures suggests it was a preparatory sketch for a painting perhaps. And, although incomplete, the scene feels very contained. What is striking to me, however, is the subjects’ emotional disconnect despite their physical proximity; the standing figure seems quite removed from the seated one. Curator: Absolutely, and focusing on that grid, we can view the creative process, the very structure the artist used in construction. Pencil, as a medium, allows for corrections, revisions; you can feel Scholderer grappling with form and likeness right here. How fascinating is it that such a historically ordinary material unveils the actual artistic practice! Editor: It is precisely the act of drawing with pencil, a ubiquitous material in everyday life, that also lends intimacy to the work; it serves almost as a window onto the lives of these women and into the culture that framed them. But it is also true that the setting contributes to an upper-middle-class narrative here. Who were these women and what were their relationships? Curator: Agreed. And, while their individual stories may be lost to time, the materiality speaks volumes about the social contexts of portraiture and class during the time in which Scholderer worked. Editor: Precisely. It shows us that within seemingly straightforward drawings, such as this, lay intricate constructions of class and representation. Curator: Indeed. Every choice – from the grid's imposition to the clothing, and the postures of the sitters - opens avenues to broader social dynamics. Editor: And allows us to look beyond individual subjects and into society at large. Thanks for guiding us through this fascinating image. Curator: My pleasure. Let’s appreciate this artwork as a window into social dynamics of labor and representation, framed by ordinary tools like pencils.