Pariah: The Pariah's Prayer 1924

Curator: This is "Pariah: The Pariah's Prayer" by Ernst Barlach. The image, rendered in charcoal, measures roughly 13 by 17 centimeters and is part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The figure's hunched posture and the stark, almost frantic lines of the charcoal immediately convey a sense of suffering and desperation. There is very little hope on display here. Curator: Indeed. Barlach, working during a period of intense social upheaval in Germany, frequently addressed themes of human suffering and spiritual struggle. The pariah, an outcast, embodies this struggle against societal forces. Editor: It is a statement about marginalization, and seems to critique the existing societal hierarchy. Barlach clearly saw the pariah as a metaphor for a broader spiritual and political alienation, which is as pertinent today as it was then. Curator: I am particularly moved by how Barlach uses shadow to emphasize the figure's isolation, the weight of the world seems to rest heavily upon them. Editor: Barlach really makes you feel the weight of existence.