Ein Zug historisch gewandeter Krieger, angeführt vom trommelnden Tod 

Editor: Here we have Victor Müller's drawing, "Ein Zug historisch gewandeter Krieger, angeführt vom trommelnden Tod," or "A procession of historically dressed warriors, led by drumming Death." It appears to be a gouache on paper, quite ghostly. I’m struck by the figure of Death in the foreground. What do you see in this piece, considering it's a history painting? Curator: I see a potent commentary on power and its inherent connection to mortality. Müller uses the historical figures to engage in a dialogue with the present. The spectral figure of death leading these soldiers raises crucial questions about the glorification of war and violence. We need to critically assess who is left out of these historical narratives. Who is missing from this procession? Editor: That's a compelling point about who is missing. The title seems to focus on the warriors. It sounds so heroic, but when you really look at it... I hadn't considered the critique of the power structure involved, or really, who the war might actually serve. Curator: Exactly! Consider the role of romanticism in shaping national identity. Doesn’t this image subvert those glorifying tendencies? It demands that we think about the individuals, mostly men here, implicated in those histories and the wider systems of power and inequality, class, race, gender. Where is justice? Editor: So it’s not just a romantic history painting then, but a pointed commentary? Almost a call to action? Curator: Precisely. By depicting death so prominently, Müller urges us to challenge the traditional, often sanitized, representations of power and confront the human cost of conflict and the potential consequences. Editor: It’s definitely shifted my perspective. It seemed like just a drawing of soldiers before, but I can see now that it holds a mirror to our own relationship with power and war. Thank you for pointing this out! Curator: Indeed. The purpose of engaging with history is always to better understand our present.