Cat and Mouse (Katze und Maus) 1912 - 1913

Editor: Christian Rohlfs' "Cat and Mouse," a print, feels primal, a visual echo of a timeless struggle. What symbols jump out at you? Curator: The simplified forms themselves carry a weight. The cat, a fluid line, speaks to predatory instinct. The mouse, fragmented, represents vulnerability, a universal symbol of the underdog. Editor: So, it's less about the literal animals and more about what they represent? Curator: Precisely. Consider the negative space, the "ground" of the image. Does it feel like a safe haven, or another layer of threat? Rohlfs uses these age-old figures to expose vulnerability and terror. Editor: That's fascinating; I hadn't considered the role of the negative space. Curator: Visual symbols are never isolated; they exist within a network of meaning. It is very telling that Rohlfs made the background a texture of threat. Editor: I see. I'll definitely look at symbols differently from now on.