Orgelleute werden von beißenden Hunden über den Haufen geworfen 

Curator: Ah, yes, "Orgelleute werden von beißenden Hunden über den Haufen geworfen"—"Organists Overthrown by Biting Dogs"—a work attributed to William Hogarth here at the Städel Museum, rendered in pencil, chalk, and charcoal. Editor: Immediately, it feels like pure chaos. A sort of visual pandemonium with dynamic lines conveying extreme disorder, figures off-balance, and this…towering, overturned structure dominating the composition. Curator: The title, of course, points us to the symbolism at play. The organists—bearers of sacred music, representing order and tradition—are literally brought low by the unleashed, snarling dogs. Do you sense any deeper resonance in these canines? Editor: I see them as breaking the linear rhythm of the picture—as if the controlled world falls apart. Consider how Hogarth has depicted their snouts, all points and angles against the curvature elsewhere. And they act as compositional anchors pulling our sight toward the bottom right. Curator: Yes, the unruly hounds disrupt societal norms. We often see dogs in art symbolizing loyalty and virtue. Here, that is subverted—perhaps speaking to a darker undercurrent in the seemingly pious society. Perhaps it critiques religious dogma through that visceral upset of balance and hierarchy. What do the faces express to you? Editor: Fear. The expressive linework amplifies the terror of being set upon, contrasting starkly with the placid faces looking on from the windows above—detached observers who are above this chaos. See how that sharp, architectural framing separates and isolates them from the action. Curator: They are apart and aloof from this fall. The historical context hints at a societal distrust of elaborate religious ceremony, which the artist criticizes, possibly linking religious authority with instability, or outright aggression. The tumbled instrument—a heavy, rigid shape turned precariously on its side, is no small indication! Editor: It becomes a fulcrum on which the entire drama unfolds! The image shows the precise moment before an accident, that edge of a chaotic episode. In essence, the drawing transforms into a stage set for disorder. Curator: That is an excellent observation, underscoring the visual narrative embedded within the artwork. Thank you for joining me on this look. Editor: Always a pleasure to unpack art, revealing deeper stories beneath.