Akaki Saw a Picture of a Pretty Woman in a Window Display 1918

Editor: Walter Gramatté's small print, "Akaki Saw a Picture of a Pretty Woman in a Window Display," it’s a rather unsettling image. What's your take on it? Curator: Well, it speaks to the power of representation and the societal gaze. Consider how Gramatté, during the Weimar Republic, uses printmaking—a readily accessible medium—to portray Akaki's longing. Does the act of observation empower or victimize him, do you think? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn’t considered. Thanks! Curator: The distribution and accessibility of images, especially of idealized beauty, have real socio-political consequences.