Mortuarium in der Klosterkirche Heilsbronn 

Curator: Karl Ballenberger's architectural drawing, "Mortuarium in der Klosterkirche Heilsbronn," captures the interior of a monastery church using pencil and ink on paper. Editor: My initial feeling? An emptiness. A haunting stillness. It’s as though the soul has departed and we are left with the bones, the skeleton, of faith itself. Curator: Well, these drawings, common in the 19th century, served not only as records but often as instruments within broader debates about architectural preservation and religious identity. Editor: Absolutely! But there is a feeling here. Look at the geometric precision—the vaulted ceilings, the rows of pillars fading into the background—it's all rendered with this almost ghostly touch, very cold feeling, like a blueprint for a dream, or a forgotten history. Curator: Exactly. Ballenberger uses the architectural details to showcase the ambition of the Gothic style and perhaps also speaks to its later state of decay, while reviving a sense of past cultural values. Editor: Right, and the windows, letting in practically no light... or rather, a pale, spectral light... Are these supposed to inspire awe or perhaps lament, some feeling of deep sadness and the stark, unadorned stonework feels oddly purifying, very austere? Curator: It is interesting to consider whether Ballenberger intentionally invites the observer to see past grandeur intertwined with a critical reflection on religious and architectural authority in his period. The drawing's starkness is purposeful. Editor: I love the conversation this piece sparks, about what has departed and what remains when time marches through these grand spaces, all that geometrical beauty with faint echoes. Curator: For me, Ballenberger has crafted a compelling vision, making the old speak in new dialogues concerning value and endurance in a changing world. Editor: Ultimately it becomes an inquiry into human spirit, rendered with beautiful architectural geometry; it is deeply haunting.