Standing Prophet with Arm Raised 1896

Curator: Immediately striking, isn’t it? This charcoal and graphite drawing on paper by Franz von Lenbach, titled "Standing Prophet with Arm Raised," was created in 1896. There’s something undeniably powerful in its stark simplicity. Editor: Power, yes, but also an unsettling sense of vulnerability. He's reaching upward, but the lines are so rough, so unsure. It feels less like a proclamation and more like a desperate plea, a charcoal-smeared cry into the void. Curator: Interesting observation. I'd argue that Lenbach’s use of readily available materials – charcoal and graphite – and his almost sketch-like approach point to a breaking down of academic traditions. He’s after something raw, less polished, focusing on the materiality and directness of the medium. Editor: Raw, indeed. Look at the ragged edge of the paper; it lends the whole piece an unfinished, almost discarded quality. Is he a forgotten prophet, cast aside by his own people? That arm raised – is it in supplication or condemnation? Curator: The context of its making is key. Lenbach was operating within a society grappling with rapid industrialization, shifting class structures, and burgeoning social movements. This prophet, shrouded in rough-hewn lines, speaks to a desire for spiritual grounding, even if uncertain, in a world increasingly dominated by material concerns. Editor: And those concerns seem very relevant even now, don't they? There is almost an activist, rallying feel about it... Perhaps he felt discarded when he was living at his time just as much as we feel this work does not grab much attention compared to paintings or other big visual arts. There's beauty even in what others might dismiss as mere scrap material. A powerful message, wrapped in simplicity. Curator: Precisely. The value lies not in the preciousness of the materials, but in the directness and emotional resonance achieved. It urges us to see beyond the surface and contemplate the struggles and yearnings embedded within the work itself. Editor: A ghostly image, somehow refusing to fade away and the charcoal has been able to really encapsulate these last 100+ years. I think I am a believer now.