Russian boy with hat 

Curator: Okay, let’s talk about this little gem, "Russian boy with hat", attributed to Franz Pforr. It's a pencil drawing on paper, currently residing here at the Städel Museum. Editor: Right. My first thought? "Hauntingly Minimal." It’s sparse, isn't it? Barely-there lines against a sea of paper. And that floating hat...slightly ominous and humorous. Curator: Exactly. The sparseness is intentional. Pforr was very much interested in pure form. Note how the figure occupies a large portion of the page, which has the effect of isolating the boy in a kind of limbo. Also notice that Pforr leaves many gaps in the outlines, which paradoxically encourages the viewer to imaginatively fill in what is not shown. Editor: Limbo feels right! The ghostly floating hat suggests uncertainty, transience. And that gaze...it’s not confronting, exactly, more...inward. Makes you wonder what's bouncing around in that kiddo's head, especially amidst the emptiness. What sort of cultural significance does this hat carry in the portrait? It reminds me of when I wore funny hats as a kid... Curator: Precisely! And consider the way he rendered the clothing: simple lines create an overall shapeless, androgynous feel which defies common ideas of ideal presentation, or any gender-specific style of portrayal for that matter. One may even see in the way he renders the hat and other elements a sort of rough, folksy proto-expressionism breaking away from the stiff formality common to other similar era portraits. Editor: Folkloric, raw and honest, then, that's very nice to keep in mind when seeing how that hat, again, doesn't appear to "belong", and I love how the lines give only a loose suggestion of the subject! Well, what do you think this simple little picture conveys, given it's sparse quality, Professor? Curator: Perhaps the portrait embodies something quintessential, an innocent openness not burdened by external ideas. I keep wondering too how our contemporary minds encounter such imagery: is it through projection of the new on the old? Editor: Fascinating! Like seeing ourselves, maybe, in these outlines? Or our collective anxiety. In short: I find a lot of possibility in this drawing, even despite what might at first glance appear incomplete. Curator: A lot can hide in the suggestion! Just like what’s lurking in his hat…thanks for sharing in this deep look.