Spiritual Salutation [Salute] 1924

Editor: Ernst Barlach's drawing, *Spiritual Salutation*, features a lone figure overlooking a battlefield. The rough, expressive lines give it a raw, almost brutal feel. What can you tell me about its production? Curator: The lithographic process is key here. Barlach, working between Expressionism and New Objectivity, chose a medium that allowed for relatively quick and reproducible images. Consider the social context: Germany after World War One. How might the mass production of such an image relate to disseminating a message about war and its consequences? Editor: It's interesting to think about how the means of making it connects to the message itself! Curator: Exactly. By focusing on the material and its potential for dissemination, we see how Barlach engaged with the socio-political landscape of his time.