Potiphar's Wife 1914

Editor: This is Wilhelm Lehmbruck's "Potiphar's Wife," an etching. The raw lines and the figures' poses suggest intense conflict. What symbolic weight do you see in this scene? Curator: The image reverberates with ancient power dynamics. Consider how Lehmbruck renders the male figure almost recoiling, his arms raised in a gesture that reads both as defense and supplication. The woman’s grip, her leaning stance…what does that suggest to you about control and vulnerability in this context? Editor: It feels like a reversal of typical gendered power. He seems trapped, while she embodies a kind of forceful desire. Curator: Precisely. Lehmbruck is tapping into a primal narrative, but also perhaps questioning conventional interpretations. Notice how the sparse background amplifies the psychological intensity. It’s almost claustrophobic. Food for thought, isn't it?