Studie zu ‘Manfreds Sterbestunde’ before 1825

Curator: This drawing by Johann Peter Krafft is a study for a larger painting, created before 1825. It's titled "Studie zu ‘Manfreds Sterbestunde,’" which translates to "Study for ‘Manfred’s Hour of Death.’" Editor: My first impression is that it has a very somber and introspective mood. The sitter, if this is Manfred, looks rather pained but there's also a quiet dignity. A bit theatrical, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Absolutely theatrical, but effectively so. Krafft was working in the Romantic tradition, after all, and theatricality was one of its calling cards. I think the drawing has an expressive, sensitive quality, a certain psychological depth that lends itself to the Byron poem it illustrates. It has a haunting quality. Editor: Byron's Manfred is very much about romantic individualism and challenging societal norms, which links back to themes of isolation and disillusionment so prominent in much of romantic thought. Looking closely, I’m fascinated by how the stark realism of the face and head are almost undermined by the wispy drawing of the cape. It gives a strange sensation of something caught between the material and ethereal worlds. Curator: It really emphasizes the ephemeral, transient nature of existence, and even celebrity. Like looking back on what feels inevitable. I see a touch of vulnerability around his eyes and mouth. Maybe I'm just reading into the name ‘Manfred’s Hour of Death’. Editor: Perhaps he uses Manfred, this lone hero, as a symbol for wider shifts in society. Here you have someone almost fighting against his own physical boundaries. And what I love about the Romantics is the push and pull in everything. The beauty of it all is enhanced by our understanding of his isolation. Curator: It’s a clever pre-echo of the larger narrative about mortality which Krafft wanted to portray. There's so much movement within the quietness of this drawing that captures a real Romantic sentiment. Thanks for pointing it out, and allowing me to enjoy this pencil rendering on a whole new level. Editor: Anytime. The joy of this piece really rests in finding common links between something that appears so isolated and romantic with some deeply pertinent cultural conversations about individuality, gender and personhood that are still occurring to this day.