Puck mit in die Seite gestütztem Arm und leicht nach vorn gebeugtem Oberkörper, einen Besen (_) haltend c. 1867 - 1868

Curator: Ah, the ethereal sketch entitled "Puck mit in die Seite gestütztem Arm und leicht nach vorn gebeugtem Oberkörper, einen Besen (_) haltend" by Paul Konewka. This pencil drawing from around 1867 to 1868 is currently held at the Städel Museum. Editor: It's captivating, almost spectral. I am immediately drawn to the whimsical figure, barely there, as if captured mid-flight. The pencil lines suggest a fleeting moment of a fairy carrying...is that a broom? There’s an arresting ambiguity at play. Curator: Indeed, the image holds that balance of solid and permeable. Konewka, although most notably recognized for his silhouettes, often captured this lightness in other forms, here adopting Romantic figuration. It feels as if he is inviting us to gaze upon a secret, fleeting moment. Think Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," of course. The piece gestures towards that realm of playful mischievousness but is rendered with subtle restraint. Editor: The romantic element seems laced with an anxiety toward labour, right? Konewka portrays Puck as this mischievous being with its origins from the working class, now relegated to domestic duty, leaning on his broom perhaps during a well-earned rest. Can we overlook how art can perpetuate normalized gender roles here? Puck holding that broom implies not just a single story, but one steeped in layers of expectation and assumptions about who performs domestic tasks. Curator: You’re giving me a lot to think about, but that's also the power of Konewka’s sketch, isn’t it? We enter it and immediately feel the whisper of a story but its full context lingers out of grasp, shifting shape in the changing light. What I see in Konewka’s Puck is how he depicts liminal beings so beautifully, neither wholly present nor entirely absent. A kind of dreamy haunting, forever stuck with some boring chore like sweeping. Editor: A spectral commentary, maybe? That the figures tasked with labour exist, often, as ghosts, not wholly seen or appreciated for their work. These ghostly figures remind us of the need to resist simplifying their experiences. It really speaks volumes. Curator: Yes, a reminder that within seemingly delicate forms, the resonance of meaning echoes far beyond their initial appearance.