Illustration of the Baalschem 1930

Editor: This is Rosy Lilienfeld’s "Illustration of the Baalschem," made in 1930 using chalk on paper. It’s such an evocative image, almost dreamlike. What stands out to you about the drawing? Curator: For me, it's the raw, almost primal quality of the materials themselves. Chalk is such a basic substance – essentially ground stone – yet Lilienfeld coaxes this scene of dynamic movement from it. Consider the availability and cost of materials during the interwar period. Could this have influenced the choice? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't thought about that. You’re pointing to chalk’s status as perhaps a cheaper and widely available choice of medium. Does that challenge traditional notions of "high" art? Curator: Absolutely. By embracing such a common material, Lilienfeld arguably democratizes the image. The Baalschem, if understood within its narrative context, becomes accessible not just conceptually, but materially as well. It speaks to the viewer through both subject and substance. Are there aspects of this drawing which suggest that labour and craft could play an important role in deciphering its meaning? Editor: I see what you mean. The visible strokes and the roughness of the chalk… it really highlights the process. Maybe she is calling attention to the means by which images are made and consumed. I guess I'd always thought of drawings as just preliminary sketches but it is evident Lilienfeld’s drawing is a deliberate finished artwork. Curator: Precisely. The "finish," or lack thereof, becomes part of the message. What happens to our understanding of narrative when materiality shapes the way it's delivered? Editor: That's a lot to think about. I’m seeing the artwork not just as a depiction, but as a physical object that carries cultural and historical weight within its very composition. Curator: Exactly. It’s a dance between the seen and the made.