Portrait of a Man, Berlin 1923

Editor: Here we have Maggie Laubser’s "Portrait of a Man, Berlin," painted in 1923, rendered in oil on canvas. The bold color choices give it a strikingly modern feel, even now. What's your take on this portrait? Curator: Thank you. What immediately strikes me is how Laubser situates this individual within the visual language of German Expressionism, a movement born from societal anxieties around the first world war and beyond. Note the man's confrontational gaze. It reflects the broader cultural angst prevalent in Weimar Germany. How does that gaze make you feel? Editor: Uncomfortable, definitely! It's intense. The way the colors are almost violently applied also adds to that unease. Curator: Precisely. Consider the painting's context. Weimar Germany was a period of immense social upheaval. There were struggles over economic inequality, gender identity and hyperinflation. Laubser seems to use the male figure to speak about control and power. Is he part of that powerful elite or is he one of the ones marginalized at this time? Editor: I never thought of the individual depicted being part of those struggles. So, you're saying the portrait isn't just about him but about the bigger picture of that era? Curator: Exactly. It invites us to critically examine the subject's position within the broader political and economic forces at play. Laubser's technique, in this context, amplifies the instability of the time. This expressionist lens becomes a tool for social commentary. What have you learned from the portrait and the historical context that you didn't know before? Editor: The Expressionist movement was more involved in social struggles than I thought. Now, looking at it again, I understand that this is more than just a face, it is a time capsule! Curator: Indeed! And it shows how portraits reflect identity and its interaction with broader power systems. It makes you wonder, what might portraits of our own time reveal?