Head of a Shouting Man 1520

Curator: This intense work is Matthias Grünewald's "Head of a Shouting Man," created around 1520 using pencil and charcoal. Editor: My immediate response is one of distress. The open mouth, straining neck – it conveys such raw agony, even in this medium. It feels incredibly modern. Curator: Indeed. Considering the paper itself – its production, sourcing, and the artist's conscious selection of these materials - informs how we see this piece. The immediacy of charcoal paired with the precision of the pencil allowed for a tangible portrayal of fervent emotion. The relatively humble nature of drawing materials versus, say, painting, gives us insight into art's wider accessibility at this time. Editor: I see it too as reflecting the anxieties brewing in the early 16th century, specifically within the German Reformation context. The expressive distortion, typical of German Expressionism movements which this piece anticipated centuries later, could represent spiritual or social upheaval. Where does this scream originate from? Curator: Considering Grünewald’s known connections to the court of Mainz and his involvement in religious commissions, the 'scream' could represent internal religious conflicts, doubt, or even desperate cries for redemption amidst the religious changes happening at the time. Editor: It is fascinating how Grünewald uses what some may consider very commonplace materials, transforming the cheap and the rough into this really emotive work. In thinking about the artistic environment of the early sixteenth century, artists are breaking away from just royal portraiture to investigate common emotions, everyday suffering. What had previously been consigned to cheap street theatre, now appears in 'high' art. Curator: Exactly! The means of producing the artwork were just as important as the resulting image. And now, centuries later, looking back allows us to examine just how influential the 'making' became for others to imitate the techniques to represent angst, ecstasy and even pain through gesture. Editor: Examining "Head of a Shouting Man," we see not just a sketch, but a convergence of personal torment and historical anxieties captured by such seemingly modest art materials. Curator: Absolutely. I see Grünewald consciously exploring the properties of charcoal and pencil. This drawing allows us insight into a pivotal time where artistic processes allowed space to challenge convention.