16358 („Was da heute wird beachtet …“) 1932

Editor: Here we have "16358 ("Was da heute wird beachtet ...")", a 1932 drawing in ink, pastel, gouache and other media on paper by John Elsas, housed in the Städel Museum. It strikes me as unsettling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see an invocation of cultural memory. This ethereal figure, emerging as if from a ghostly spring, possesses a symbolic charge, particularly given its creation in 1932. Notice the inscription below: it speaks of the present being observed by the future, and of things one doesn't want to see rising again. Editor: So, you’re suggesting it's not just a simple portrait but something deeper? Curator: Exactly. The artist utilizes figuration in service of narrative. This wispy form rising reminds me of the anxieties swirling in Germany at the time, just before the Nazi rise to power. The artist uses visual symbols rooted in German cultural anxieties to suggest ideas about historical reckoning. It seems like Elsas suggests something repressed is bound to reappear. What feeling do you get from the colour palette? Editor: Now that you mention it, the muted pink and grey do create a sense of unease. I hadn’t connected it so directly to the socio-political context, but it's amazing how such simple forms and colors can convey so much. Curator: Indeed. And even the act of drawing, as a less 'finished' medium, perhaps symbolizes a world still in formation, haunted by the past, uncertain of its future. Do you think that knowledge of the inscription changes your perception? Editor: Absolutely. It adds a layer of meaning, transforming a somewhat abstract figure into a commentary on the looming future. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. I’m so glad that thinking through cultural symbols added to your understanding.