Death and the Couple, from the portfolio "Dance of Death" 1922

Curator: Lovis Corinth, an artist active in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created this etching entitled "Death and the Couple" as part of his "Dance of Death" portfolio. Editor: It’s incredibly unsettling, isn't it? The scratchy lines and stark contrast give it a raw, almost frantic energy. You can feel the weight of mortality. Curator: Corinth made this portfolio relatively late in his career, in response to the First World War. It speaks to a broader artistic trend of grappling with the ubiquity of death in modern society. Editor: Absolutely. It's like he's exposing the vulnerability inherent in intimacy, in coupledom, framing it against the backdrop of mass death and societal upheaval. It is a critique of power structures, particularly how war disproportionately affects marginalized communities. Curator: I agree. The artwork underscores how major historical events have an impact on the individual and how it reflects a time of immense social change. Editor: Precisely. Seeing it within that context, it reminds us that personal narratives are always interwoven with broader socio-political forces.