Eine schwebende Elfe mit wehendem Haar, Kleid und ausgestreckten Armen c. 1867 - 1868

Paul Konewka created this delicate pencil drawing, "Eine schwebende Elfe mit wehendem Haar, Kleid und ausgestreckten Armen," which translates to "A Floating Elf with Flowing Hair, Dress, and Outstretched Arms," during the late 19th century. Konewka, working in a period of burgeoning industrialization and social change, evokes a longing for the pre-industrial, pre-rational world, one populated by fairies and elves. But let’s not be fooled by the seemingly innocent subject matter. What does it mean that this figure is female? What does it mean that she appears to be nude? How does this image participate in a long history of idealizing and sexualizing the female form? This elfin figure, with her flowing hair and outstretched arms, is not merely an image of fantasy; she embodies the complex negotiations between myth, gender, and the male gaze prevalent in art of this period. She invites us to consider the cultural values embedded in representations of the ethereal feminine.