The Shepherd's Lamentation 1924

Curator: Ernst Barlach's design, held here at the Harvard Art Museums, is titled "The Shepherd's Lamentation." The stark lines and heavy shadows feel immediately melancholic. Editor: Indeed. The figure's hunched posture and the desolate landscape—it speaks to a profound sense of isolation, doesn't it? Almost biblical in its despair. Curator: Barlach often explored themes of human suffering. The weight of the shepherd's cloak, the watchful dog—there's a sense of responsibility, but also deep sorrow. Editor: I wonder, is it the burden of leadership, or something more personal? The print itself, with its raw, almost scratchy lines, amplifies the emotional rawness. Curator: Perhaps it's both. Barlach lived through immense political turmoil. Maybe this lamentation reflects the wider anxieties of his time, the shepherd representing a broken society. Editor: It certainly resonates with the anxieties of any era, really. A powerful piece, reminding us of the timeless nature of grief and responsibility.