Sketched rectangles 

Curator: Welcome. Today we’re looking at "Sketched Rectangles," a work created by Max Liebermann currently residing here at the Städel Museum. It seems to be rendered using pencil, chalk and graphite. Editor: My initial reaction is that of witnessing an artist’s thought process. The composition has a sense of impermanence, of sketches rapidly captured. There’s something stark and unrefined about the visual texture. Curator: I agree. If we analyze the structural relationships, we notice Liebermann’s clear emphasis on the interplay between the defined shapes and their immediate surroundings. See how he juxtaposes the verticality of some forms against the more densely filled central rectangle? The negative space is just as vital. Editor: And it makes me wonder: What narratives or social contexts shaped this artist's approach to form? It’s hard to pin down an exact date for it. It speaks to a certain abstraction, and yet… perhaps he sought to capture the stark geometries of the urban landscape that were rapidly changing around him. Curator: That is certainly a possibility. If we are thinking in semiotic terms, each rectangle acts as a signifier – a pointer to a signified, without actually ever resolving to the status of an identifiable, pre-existing object. We see line, we see texture, yet their combined significance never becomes overly didactic. Editor: But that tension—between representation and pure form—resonates even now. This image anticipates an entire century of debates surrounding the relationship between art and social experience, and also reflects some power imbalances during that time. Which voices and spaces were afforded recognition, and which remained only “sketched,” at the margins? Curator: Interesting perspective! Ultimately, what's so compelling here is Liebermann's conscious arrangement of forms and marks, and how we are invited to follow him, attempting to complete something that might never be entirely completed. Editor: Absolutely. These "Sketched Rectangles" serve as a fascinating case study in the layered meanings embedded within ostensibly simple arrangements, pushing us to reconsider not just *what* we see, but *how* we see, and also *why*.