Absalom goes unto his father's concubines (II Samuel 16: 21-23) 1923

Curator: Immediately, I feel… trapped. There’s this claustrophobic energy, like watching something you shouldn't see. Editor: This is Lovis Corinth's "Absalom goes unto his father's concubines (II Samuel 16: 21-23)", a drawing residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Corinth, who lived from 1858 to 1925, really delves into some dark territory here. Curator: Dark indeed. It’s all raw strokes, figures emerging from chaos. Makes you question power, doesn't it? Who holds it, who abuses it? Editor: The biblical scene itself is steeped in political maneuvering, public humiliation. Absalom seizing his father's wives as a symbolic coup. Corinth lays bare the brutality of that act. Curator: Exactly. It’s not just about the story, it’s about the echoing horror, the way power corrupts and consumes. The drawing has a frenzied quality; it’s like Corinth is trying to exorcise something. Editor: Well, I think, in a way, Corinth challenges us to face uncomfortable truths about history, about the theater of politics—and perhaps about ourselves. Curator: Absolutely. It's stuck with me—a reminder that even in the most intimate moments, power dynamics are always at play.