Das Reh von Uhland (Original Title) 

Editor: This is Eugen Neureuther's "Das Reh von Uhland," an ink and pencil drawing currently housed in the Städel Museum. It looks like an illustration for a book, and the narrative scene with the running deer is striking, although the overall sketch is loose. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Looking at this piece through a lens of historical and social context, I'm drawn to the Romantic movement's idealization of nature, particularly evident in the German context with folk tales such as this poem. It emphasizes emotionality and a rejection of Enlightenment rationalism. What social forces do you think might be at play in its focus? Editor: I see the Romanticism connection, especially with the longing figure on the left side. Perhaps it reflects anxieties about industrialization and a yearning for simpler times. Curator: Precisely! Consider, too, the role of gender within these narratives. Is she perhaps the “damsel in distress”, the one who’s being hunted down as an allegory of feminine subjugation or gendered political exclusion, while men can do whatever they want on horseback, like the running deer which probably has no escape? What if she's not just a passive observer? Might she be complicit with this dynamic, in the social imaginary of the artwork? Editor: That’s a really powerful perspective I hadn't considered. Looking closer, I can definitely see how that could be reflected in her expression. It completely shifts how I view the hunters as well! Curator: It shows that reading artwork can be a great way of getting to the historical unconscious behind cultural imagery. What I love most is the dialogue between our experiences today with art from the past! Editor: I agree! It’s fascinating how examining art through these lenses opens up entirely new ways of understanding its cultural work.