10718 (_I go out with an umbrella ..._) 1930 - 1931

Curator: John Elsas created this drawing, titled "10718 (_I go out with an umbrella ..._)," sometime between 1930 and 1931. It's currently held here at the Städel Museum. Editor: My first impression? An illustration from a child's book, perhaps a slightly melancholy one. The purple hues create a somewhat muted, wistful feeling. Curator: Interesting. I am immediately drawn to the artist's deliberate mark-making. The repetition of the hatching, used to define the form of the figure and umbrella, speaks volumes about process, about the labor of image production itself. Editor: True, the visible lines and seemingly naive construction also emphasize the artwork's artificiality; its constructed nature rather than an attempt at pure representation. The way the limbs are just straight lines, very simplified. Curator: Indeed, the umbrella suggests access and availability, perhaps social status. We also have to consider Elsas’ history; what access did he really have in that time? Editor: The title, seemingly written beneath in German, I see also offers an invitation into a private moment of choosing to go out regardless of the weather. Does that relate to access? Curator: Possibly, although I feel his simple materials–paper, pen and watercolor–democratize art making, shifting focus to the social reality reflected within this piece of paper. The circumstances under which Elsas found himself perhaps informed that. Editor: For me, it speaks to the artist's careful distillation of form, stripping away extraneous detail to arrive at the very essence of representation of self, I think. Curator: A different interpretation of how the materials inform the piece overall. His technique challenges conventional drawing practices. Perhaps it opens up discourse around consumption. Editor: Ultimately, what the art speaks of is for everyone to come to their own conclusions. Curator: Right, I like how you noticed those details and we are here talking about this work today.