Wasserfall an einem Felshang 

Editor: Here we have Franz Kobell’s "Waterfall on a Rocky Slope," a pen and ink drawing from the 18th century, currently at the Städel Museum. I’m immediately struck by the contrast between the solid, dark rocks and the ephemeral, almost dissolving waterfall. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The image is rife with symbols we understand even now, centuries later. Water, particularly in a dynamic state like a waterfall, is often linked to transformation, renewal, and the unconscious mind, its depths and hidden currents. And rocks, of course, represent the enduring, steadfast nature of the physical world. Do you see how the artist positions them in relation to one another? Editor: Well, the rocks are much larger and seem to frame the waterfall. It’s as if the constant change is occurring within something solid and unchanging. Is there any significance to depicting this natural scene, as opposed to, say, a historical or religious one? Curator: Landscapes were increasingly seen as carriers of emotional and spiritual significance during this period. The sublime, the awe-inspiring experience of nature's grandeur, was a popular concept. The waterfall becomes a symbol of untamed power but contained within a broader, almost divinely ordered setting. The scale seems deliberate; it dwarfs any human presence, suggesting humanity's place within a larger, more powerful world. How do you react to that contrast in scale? Editor: It makes me feel small, but also connected to something much bigger. I guess I never thought of landscapes as being so symbolic. Curator: Art allows us to delve deeper into cultural memory by engaging with symbols and emotional weights passed down through time. What started as a beautiful landscape becomes a symbolic journey inward, through water and stone.