Oberon, Lanze und Jagdhorn haltend, stehend, nach links c. 1867 - 1868

Paul Konewka sketched “Oberon, Lanze und Jagdhorn haltend, stehend, nach links” with graphite on paper. Konewka, born in 1840, was raised Jewish, and converted to Protestantism in 1859. The artist’s cultural conversion resonates throughout his work. Here, we see Oberon, the king of the fairies, a figure deeply entrenched in European folklore and literature. Oberon is a liminal figure, a ruler of a realm between worlds, whose identity is neither fully human nor divine. Konewka's own negotiation of cultural and religious identity echoes in his artistic choices. The sketch captures Oberon holding a lance and a hunting horn, symbols of authority and the wild. The figure's classical contrapposto stance and idealized physique evoke a sense of timelessness. The choice of Oberon, a figure of both power and ambiguity, reflects the complexities of cultural assimilation and the search for identity within a changing society.