Woman in armchair 

Editor: We're looking at "Woman in armchair", a drawing by Philipp Rumpf, currently housed in the Städel Museum. It's delicate, almost dreamlike, with soft lines sketching out the figure. What strikes you most when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, it’s all whisper and suggestion, isn't it? The unfinished quality almost invites collaboration. It's less about the "who" and more about the "feeling". What I find fascinating is how Rumpf captures a moment of introspective stillness with such minimal strokes. It's as if he's sharing a fleeting thought rather than presenting a concrete reality. Does the sitter's posture evoke any emotions for you? Editor: Definitely a sense of quiet contemplation, maybe even a hint of melancholy. Her downcast eyes and the way she's holding her hands suggest she’s lost in thought. It makes me wonder what she's thinking about. Curator: Precisely! And isn't that the joy of drawings like this? They become mirrors. We project our own experiences, our own melancholies, onto the subject. I find the use of light so important, wouldn’t you agree? The vague chiaroscuro really draws your eye. Editor: It does create a lovely subtle contrast! But also what is the meaning behind the sketch like lines? What is the significance, as opposed to making a proper fully completed picture? Curator: Maybe it is something as simple as not enough time in the day? What strikes me with those unfinished lines, is the sense that reality is constantly evolving and incomplete; and that what we see isn't fixed or definitive. Perhaps Rumpf is gently suggesting that our understanding of each other, like the drawing, is always a work in progress. It allows space for interpretation and personal connection, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. It's like he's inviting us to finish the story. I appreciate how this drawing makes me think not only about the woman depicted but also about the nature of representation itself. Curator: Precisely! It reminds us that art isn’t just about what is shown, but about what is evoked. A shared emotional space… That is something special.