Professor John Berg 1912

Editor: This is Anders Zorn's etching of "Professor John Berg." It's a small work on paper, but the stark lines give it a really imposing feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a portrait of power, but also of the limitations placed on intellectual discourse. How might the professor's identity – his race, class, and gender – have shaped his academic contributions and the recognition he received? Editor: That’s an interesting perspective. I hadn't considered how his position might have influenced things. Curator: The very act of depicting him, by an artist like Zorn, is a statement about who gets remembered and whose stories are valued. What impact does that leave on future generations? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way; it makes you wonder about all the untold stories, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely. Art invites us to question power structures and the narratives they perpetuate. Editor: Absolutely, I will keep that in mind.