Puck, weit ausschreitend und mit erhobenen Armen c. 1867 - 1868

Curator: Welcome. We are looking at Paul Konewka's "Puck, weit ausschreitend und mit erhobenen Armen", made around 1867-1868, created with ink and pencil on paper, now residing at the Städel Museum. Editor: It appears a raw, spontaneous, and somewhat joyous depiction, captured through minimalist line work, but almost ungrounded as if he’s been caught mid-skip! Curator: Indeed, Konewka was known for his silhouette illustrations but this figure shows something different: observe the expressive use of line, creating volume without shading, contour defining musculature, a delicate dance between presence and absence. The raised arms suggest energy and power, perfectly rendered in stark pencil strokes. Editor: The choice of Puck as a subject, evokes much regarding the cultural memory surrounding Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Puck represents mischief and freedom. Here the upward reach symbolizes the yearning to defy gravity, echoing the dreams of flight found in Romantic era fantasies. His figure serves as a universal emblem of human potential unrestrained by terrestrial limits. Curator: Interesting points. And look closer at the figure's placement; the asymmetrical balance provides implied movement—the lack of a detailed background further pushes him into abstraction, reducing form to its most essential characteristics. His stance opens channels to consider negative space to define character, too. Editor: Do you consider the choice of presenting Puck without the trappings we expect, fairy wings for instance, an act to purify this universal symbol to his bare, most human core? To what extent is this an act of romanticizing, presenting fantasy devoid of all theatricality? Curator: We have an initial sketch rendered in understated yet precise gestures, as his intent feels captured. Editor: These visual signifiers allow us to contemplate the psychological desire inherent in aspiring to boundless freedom as visualized in Romantic sensibilities—that continues resonating across generations. Curator: Konewka’s pencil, within an economical execution, shows the vitality of raw art when stripping down visual composition! Editor: Indeed, leaving us pondering symbols' perpetual resonance.