Between 3 and 4 in the Morning! (Zwischen 3 und 4 Uhr Fruh!) 1911

Curator: Welcome. Here we have "Between 3 and 4 in the Morning!" a 1911 print by Moriz Jung. You'll find it here in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Well, if this doesn't perfectly capture the disorienting bleariness of those early morning hours, I don't know what does. These musicians look absolutely wrung out! Curator: Jung created this image during a particularly vibrant period of Viennese culture. These exaggerated figures recall some of the satirical cartoons of the day, and Jung himself would later become quite well-known for his graphic design work. Editor: Satirical is right! Look at the intensity etched on their faces. They're contorted. They look as if the music is physically painful. And the bright yellow background is like the buzzing exhaustion when your brain just won't switch off. It feels Expressionistic, almost aggressively so. Curator: It does have echoes of Expressionism, particularly in its emotional intensity and distorted forms. There is the unmistakable influence of Art Nouveau and Secessionstil aesthetics as well, which would have been dominant artistic languages at the time this print was made. The exaggerated line work pushes toward caricature, typical for that time. Editor: And that’s what elevates it beyond just capturing a late night; the satire sharpens the commentary. Are we meant to laugh *at* these musicians, or are we feeling their misery through the work? Is Jung skewering the art world, or sympathizing with the artists' late-night woes? I suspect there's a lot of affection there too. It seems like it gets it. Curator: Indeed. It’s a document of its time and its cultural circles. You have a direct and raw commentary embedded into something beautifully crafted. It also reminds us that the most enduring art often holds up a mirror, unflattering though it may be. Editor: Right. It serves as a funny reminder that some universal experiences transcend time. Musicians have forever been pushing through the fatigue. The feeling is so real, that’s why this resonates today, for me. Thank you.