Assorted Heads and Self-Portrait 1915

Curator: Immediately, the thing that strikes me is this chaotic energy. The faces seem to almost float on the page, with stark eyes looking at the viewer. Editor: I see that too! Lovis Corinth created this ink drawing titled "Assorted Heads and Self-Portrait" in 1915. It's got such an intense feeling, especially considering it’s just pen on paper. It looks raw, like a snapshot of fragmented thoughts. Curator: Precisely! Each face, rendered with such visible strokes, tells its own little story. Look at the man in the upper right - those deeply shadowed eyes seem to reflect so much grief, a weight of experience etched in ink. Are they based on anyone he knew? Editor: Considering this piece includes a self-portrait, the faces could be reflections of himself at various ages, or people who were present in his life at the time. Notice the placement - it feels more like an exploration of his inner turmoil rather than precise depiction of particular individuals. In a symbolic way, they all may form components of Corinth's singular psyche. Curator: Yes, like archetypes pulled from the subconscious. The face in the lower right—almost childlike with the bow in her hair—adds a sharp, almost innocent contrast. There’s vulnerability in her gaze, a directness the other portraits lack. I wonder what that contrast means in the overall emotional narrative. Editor: Well, often in art, innocence, specifically the innocence of youth is presented to contrast against older figures to convey the ravages of experience. Perhaps he intended it as a form of self-reproach, the loss of his own innocence as life went on? Given this was created around World War I, you could see a broader theme of lost innocence throughout a continent facing destruction and mass casualties. Curator: You're right! The context of World War I definitely casts a darker shadow. It’s more than just a collection of faces; it’s a mirror reflecting a fractured and uncertain world, the faces of war staring back at the viewer. It seems we have something powerful here. Editor: Indeed, a glimpse into not just the artist’s soul, but a reflection of his troubled times as well.