The Shepherd's Lamentation 1924

Curator: Ernst Barlach, a German expressionist sculptor and printmaker, created "The Shepherd's Lamentation," currently housed in the Harvard Art Museums. The design measures roughly 21 by 20 centimeters. Editor: My first thought? Melancholy. The stark lines and the solitary figure...it feels like a visual poem about loneliness. Curator: Barlach's work often explores themes of human suffering and spiritual searching, reflecting the turbulent times in which he lived. The Weimar Republic certainly shaped his worldview. Editor: You can almost feel the weight of that cloak, see the stoop in his shoulders. Is it the loss of a lamb, or something far deeper that makes him so sad? Curator: Barlach's engagement with woodcut techniques gave his prints a raw, emotionally direct quality. The Nazis labeled his art as "degenerate," which speaks volumes. Editor: Right? There's a defiant humanity here, a refusal to look away from the shadows. That dog seems the only real connection he has, as if to say, I see you, brother. Curator: It's a powerful image, reminding us of art's capacity to bear witness, even in the face of adversity. Editor: Exactly, and the raw simplicity somehow makes it all the more haunting. It sticks with you, doesn't it?