Umarmung 1915

Curator: What a contrast in energies! It feels so charged, so on the brink of something... chaotic, maybe? Editor: Precisely! Lovis Corinth's 1915 etching, "Umarmung"—or "Embrace" in English—is part of the German Expressionist movement, a current known for its raw and emotive character. Curator: Well, raw is definitely the word that comes to mind. It looks like it’s been scratched into existence. I mean, look at the face of the woman: eyes wide, like she's seeing something incredible or terrible or perhaps both at once! Editor: This is exactly where Corinth taps into the turbulent pre-WWI climate. German Expressionism reflected the anxieties and social disruptions of the time. We are invited to see a dynamic push and pull between passion, desperation, and societal unease. Note how her open gaze intersects the darkness surrounding her; a sense of liberation emerges from this scene. Curator: Yes, the darkness is pretty overwhelming. It really focuses the attention on the embrace, on the physical contact, and there’s also something tragic, even sorrowful about the whole thing. The dark figure with her face buried into her neck… I almost want to tell them that it’s all going to be okay. That it will be better… But then, maybe it won't. Editor: Your empathy gets to the core of what Expressionism sought to convey: profound emotional experiences! Consider, too, that around this time, artists were exploring ideas from psychoanalysis, like Freud's concepts of the id, ego, and superego. “Umarmung” resonates with those emerging concepts. It becomes a rendering of primal urges. Curator: Primal for sure. And vulnerable too, despite all the intense energy swirling around. Funny, how a few etched lines can feel so exposed. It’s as if Corinth has stripped everything back, so that only feeling remains. Editor: Art invites introspection, no? In this case, Corinth invites us to wrestle with the complexity of intimacy during unstable times. Curator: And, in that wrestle, perhaps recognize ourselves a little more clearly. Editor: Beautifully said! I feel we’ve only scratched the surface…