Peitschenfrau 1964

Curator: Ah, yes, Baselitz’s "Peitschenfrau," created in 1964. It's an ink and pen drawing, teetering on the edge of figuration. What strikes you most about it? Editor: Rawness. It's a primal scream rendered in ink. A visceral response jumps off the page. The figure... woman... thing, dominates, like an oppressive force, wouldn't you agree? Curator: I see what you mean about dominance. There's a suppressed ferocity. Yet I wonder if Baselitz is also exploring vulnerability? Look at the hesitant, searching lines. They feel less about aggression and more about a groping self-discovery, wouldn't you say? A bit absurd as well? Editor: It's impossible to ignore the title, "Peitschenfrau" or Whipping Woman. The post-war, divided Germany in '64 must be acknowledged, alongside discussions on power, eroticism, and female submission, when trying to locate where the piece falls. Doesn't the artist invite that very conversation by framing it in this light? Curator: Absolutely. And to further that point, that’s also why I find the medium fascinating. The stark black ink, the furious scratching… it embodies that conflict directly, it doesn't conceal. As a German expressionist work, the message of societal trauma, especially regarding gender and power structures, becomes amplified. The pen just goes wild in ways. I am just drawn in, the horror! Editor: It does cut deeply. And the deconstruction of the female form, not as a romantic subject, but as a site of tension is impossible to ignore. The way the lines form what appears to be the base layer makes it seems that it's falling to bits even further... Curator: But that chaos gives birth to something real, something tangible. It's the beauty within the grotesque, I think. Baselitz shows how creation springs from destruction. Editor: Agreed. And acknowledging the historical underpinnings, it really urges one to reconsider the enduring complexities of power and representation, as relevant now as ever. Curator: So, not just a provocative piece of art from '64 but still sparking conversation? Good stuff.