Sperling, auf einem Pflaumenzweig sitzend, nach links 

Curator: Here we have a watercolour and gouache drawing of a sparrow perched on a plum branch. The artwork is entitled, "Sperling, auf einem Pflaumenzweig sitzend, nach links" which translates to "Sparrow, sitting on a plum branch, facing left". It’s currently held here at the Städel Museum. Editor: It’s so simple, but so striking! I love the way the artist captured the quiet observation of this little bird. I feel like it's judging me somehow, you know? Curator: Well, what's fascinating is how the piece reflects broader narratives about human relationships with the natural world. Consider, if you will, how representations of birds, across different eras, are consistently tied to symbolism associated with freedom or captivity, perhaps reflecting societal attitudes towards social constraints. Editor: True, but also just... a bird. There’s this raw, immediate presence it gives off, as though the artist saw it and *had* to paint it in that very instant. Like an encounter that demands capturing. It makes me think about the impermanence of things. Curator: Absolutely! Think about how the fragility of watercolour mirrors this. It demands such precision. It might connect with the gendered labour often invisibilized in art history. Watercolors, because they have been long considered ‘delicate,’ are not always considered equivalent to artworks produced in other media. Editor: So interesting, yeah! Looking closer at the colours, too—that muted brown and the almost mossy greens—it makes me nostalgic for rainy afternoons spent indoors looking out the window. I also wonder what that weird cord-like design on the branch is? Is the artist literally tying the branch back together? A symbol? Curator: Well, it would benefit from further examination and investigation to interpret with certainty but from the vantage point of art historical interpretation, we can understand its symbolic nature through multiple interdisciplinary discourses. Editor: Fair enough! Well, for me, this unassuming little bird sitting so stoically remains, even after all that rich historical perspective, a symbol of something deeply personal. Quietly beautiful and ephemeral. Curator: A thoughtful consideration—emphasizing the beautiful multiplicity inherent within the aesthetic experience!