Flood c. 20th century

Editor: This is "Flood" by Margarete Köhler, a print in the Harvard Art Museums. It feels chaotic, almost violently fragmented. What do you see in this piece, particularly the symbolism at play? Curator: The fractured buildings evoke a sense of societal collapse. Water, of course, often represents purification and rebirth, but here, it seems destructive, consuming what was. Do the skewed perspectives and broken forms suggest a loss of cultural memory? Editor: That's a compelling point. The buildings are recognizable, yet distorted, like a memory fading over time. Does the black and white palette amplify this feeling of destruction? Curator: Precisely. The stark contrast emphasizes the binary opposition between order and chaos, creation and destruction, reminding us that cultural memory is constantly being reshaped by such events. Editor: This has completely changed how I see the print. I'll definitely think about the themes of cultural memory now. Curator: Indeed, a powerful image to remember.