Sheet XII, Two Citizens Run Away As They Hear Noisy Sounds from the Pond 1925

Editor: This is Walter Gramatté’s "Sheet XII, Two Citizens Run Away As They Hear Noisy Sounds from the Pond." It's undated, but the etching has a distinctly anxious feel. What symbols or historical events might inform its mood? Curator: The stark, hurried figures, rendered in such a raw style, evoke a sense of panic—a primal fear. What does "noisy sounds from the pond" conjure for you? Perhaps not just natural sounds, but a deeper, more unsettling disturbance? Editor: I suppose it hints at unseen, unknown threats. Are they running from something real or something imagined? Curator: Precisely. And the pond, a place of supposed tranquility, becomes a source of dread. Gramatté might be tapping into anxieties about modernity, technology, or even the looming threat of war. What do you make of that? Editor: It's fascinating how a simple scene can hold so much symbolic weight, reflecting larger societal fears. Curator: Indeed. By examining the symbols, we unlock a richer understanding of the artwork and the artist's world.