Walchensee im Nebel (Walchensee in Fog) 1920

Curator: This is "Walchensee in Fog," a pencil drawing and print by Lovis Corinth, created in 1920. Editor: Brrrr! I feel cold just looking at it. All those shivering, scratchy lines. It's like the air itself is sketched in. Curator: Exactly! Corinth masterfully captures the atmospheric perspective using only line. Notice how the mountains in the distance fade into wisps, almost dissolving into the fog itself? The pencil seems to dance between suggesting solidity and utter transience. Editor: The way he uses lines to create depth is captivating. The foreground almost feels claustrophobic with the density of marks, like a barrier, but then it opens up to this hazy expanse beyond. I am curious, does that single barren tree on the right have a meaning to you? Curator: Well, isolated trees often symbolize resilience or solitary strength. Here, in German Expressionism, maybe it reflects the somber mood following World War I. Corinth was dealing with illness and personal trauma at the time too, which no doubt found their way into the picture. Editor: Absolutely. It's almost a visual sigh. That line work feels frantic in places but restrained and subtle in others, creating this incredible tension. I wonder, looking at those jagged mountain peaks under those swirling skies, is it a bit romantic as well? Perhaps like Caspar David Friedrich? Curator: You know, German Romanticism's echoes do ring out here in Corinth’s handling of the landscape's grandeur, however he infuses it with this gritty, modern edge, that expressionistic emotionalism that we touched on. His vision seems to be clear as day. Editor: It's true. The landscape almost acts as a mirror reflecting interior weather. Curator: He isn’t merely depicting the landscape; he’s giving form to the unseen forces swirling within. Thanks for taking a closer look, Editor. Editor: Always a pleasure! It is good to note that beauty, even in desolation, has something to offer.