Trap in het Hôtel meublé de Francfort 1906 - 1911

Editor: So, here we have Henri Manesse’s “Trap in het Hôtel meublé de Francfort,” created sometime between 1906 and 1911. It’s a drawing, an intaglio print, made with pencil… The subject is stairs. It has a very shadowy, almost film noir vibe, don’t you think? What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: Absolutely, the dramatic lighting does give it that moody, cinematic quality. You know, for me, it’s the way Manesse transforms the mundane – a staircase in a Frankfurt boarding house – into something compelling. It's as if the building itself has secrets to tell, whispers of past inhabitants etched into those stones. What I appreciate is that it feels so incredibly human – there’s a certain weight, weariness, in those steps. Do you pick up on that too, or am I just projecting my own Monday morning onto it? Editor: No, I see it! It feels well-worn. But what exactly do you think Manesse was trying to communicate through something like a staircase? Is it symbolic, maybe of social climbing or something? Curator: Perhaps, but I see something a little simpler. Staircases connect different spaces, different experiences. To me, this is Manesse trying to capture a liminal space - that threshold between here and there, between one chapter and another. It's that transient moment when everything is up in the air, much like the boarding house itself, or indeed, life! Editor: That makes sense. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’d been so focused on the shadows! Curator: The shadows are certainly key though. That heavy chiaroscuro lends that mysterious narrative and adds to the sense of place. Remember, many artists at this time were grappling with depicting urban life and modernity in new ways. It seems that Manesse sought quiet corners as a reflection of that dynamic change. So where does your eye lead you? Up those stairs and into what story? Editor: Definitely! I suppose for me, it suggests that you need to put in the effort if you're looking for something else. Thank you for your expertise; I’m leaving this work seeing far beyond the surface.