The Madness of Dmitri (Book III: The Sensualists, facing p.106) 1949

This is Fritz Eichenberg's drawing for The Madness of Dmitri, likely made with graphite or charcoal. The medium feels right for such a fraught scene. I imagine Eichenberg really getting into the character of Dmitri, maybe acting out the scene himself to find the right poses, the right angles of desperation. You can almost feel the weight of the figures pressing down, the claustrophobia of the moment captured in the dense, dark shading. The hatching marks build up the forms, creating a kind of visual tension that mirrors the emotional turmoil. The composition is so dynamic; it's like the figures are about to burst out of the frame. It reminds me of some of Kollwitz's more intense prints, that same sense of social commentary mixed with deep empathy for the human condition. I bet Eichenberg was in conversation with her work. It's all one big, beautiful, messy dialogue, isn't it?