Titania, unbekleidet und mit hochgestecktem Haar, schwebend, nach links c. 1867 - 1868

Curator: This drawing by Paul Konewka, likely created around 1867 or 1868, offers us a glimpse into the romantic interpretations of Shakespearean characters during that era. Titled "Titania, Unclothed and with Hair Pinned Up, Floating, Facing Left," it captures a moment of ethereal beauty and fragility. Editor: My first thought? She looks like she’s just woken from a dream… maybe one she wasn't entirely ready to leave behind. The pencil strokes are so delicate, almost like whispers. There's a wistful sadness about her. Curator: Konewka, working in a time of burgeoning industrialization, often drew inspiration from literary sources and folklore, offering an escape into worlds of fantasy. This image embodies the Romantic era's fascination with the supernatural and the exploration of human emotion. Editor: And what I find compelling is how this Titania exists outside of typical Victorian morality – unclothed, unburdened, really. Her directness is so rare from this time, I think, and rather rebellious, even if she’s drawn with this fragile sensibility. Curator: It’s worth remembering that nudes, even mythological ones, weren’t simply about aesthetics. They reflected ideals of beauty, purity, and a connection to nature at a time when social structures were increasingly rigid. The museum as a place of 'higher' knowledge could 'display' bodies otherwise suppressed by moral conventions. Editor: Ah, context. You've pulled back the gossamer curtain, eh? All well and good to study society, but that line isn’t enough for me. Her arms, that almost hesitant outstretched hand—she feels so palpably present. It doesn’t sit as purely illustrative, despite the mythological character— it's human. Curator: I appreciate that take; what makes it land this side of realism for you? Editor: The imperfections in the drawing are a little like someone leaving their fly open. Just the lack of perfect lines or the slightly uneven hands makes her somehow less “perfect." Which brings a quality of believability—a vulnerable truth. I suppose her imperfections are an open invitation. Curator: Precisely. It’s a window onto the nuanced and changing dialogue around what role women – real and allegorical ones like this Titania – played. We're still trying to solve it. Editor: Yes… even her averted gaze and that loosely fastened updo adds something… Thanks for your historical view, that helps to clarify the picture a lot for me. I keep imagining her falling through some deep thick air. I appreciate the conversation; this visit has left me quite spellbound.