OSTRUD AND TELRAMUND FROM WAGNER’S LOHENGRIN 1914

Heinrich Lefler made this watercolor of Ostrud and Telramund from Wagner’s Lohengrin, and it's fascinating how he builds up the forms with these soft, washy strokes, creating a world that feels both solid and dreamlike. It's like he's thinking through the painting, letting the colors and shapes emerge as he goes. The texture of the watercolor paper really comes through, giving the piece a sense of lightness. Look at the blues in Ostrud's robe – they're not just flat color but layered washes that create depth and movement. The way the paint bleeds into the paper around the edges of the figures makes them feel like they're part of the landscape. And the details on the robe, those little pops of red and green, they’re like tiny explosions of energy against the blue. This piece reminds me a little of some of Odilon Redon's symbolist works, with their focus on mood and atmosphere over strict representation. It feels like an ongoing conversation about how we create meaning through color, form, and gesture, a dance of ambiguity where definitive meaning is always just out of reach.