The Rebel 1918

Curator: This is Walter Gramatté's "The Rebel," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Its diminutive size belies its powerful imagery, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. My immediate impression is one of stark defiance rendered in monochrome. The central figure's skeletal frame is unsettling. What materials did Gramatté employ to achieve this haunting effect? Curator: The printmaking process allows for incredible detail, doesn't it? The lithographic crayon captures the artist's hand so vividly. It feels intimate, like peering into Gramatté's soul. Editor: Indeed, the materiality speaks volumes. Lithography's democratic nature – its accessibility – emphasizes that this rebel is a figure for the masses. Curator: It makes you wonder what Gramatté was rebelling against, personally. His life was marked by illness and displacement; perhaps this print reflects that inner turmoil. Editor: I’d argue it's his commentary on the societal unrest of the era. The masses emerge from the darkness, guided by a spectral figure, challenging established norms. Curator: A chilling thought, to be sure. Editor: It's the artist, in his way, taking part.