Odysseus and the Suitors 1914

Editor: Here we see Lovis Corinth’s “Odysseus and the Suitors,” a striking black and white print. The raw, etched lines and the vulnerable poses of the figures make me wonder about the story behind it. What stands out to you? Curator: I see a fascinating commentary on labor and violence. The etching process itself, the physical act of carving into the plate, mirrors Odysseus's brutal act. Consider the consumption of the suitors—their bodies, rendered in stark lines, become objects in a power struggle. The materiality of the print, the ink and paper, further emphasizes the means by which this narrative of dominance is disseminated and consumed. What do you make of the mass production of prints? Editor: That gives me a different way to consider the work; it's about labor, production, and power, not just the myth itself! Curator: Precisely! The means of production shape our understanding of the subject.