Samuel's Offering at Mizpeh, for God to smite the Phillistines. 1923

Curator: At Harvard Art Museums, we have Lovis Corinth's rendering of "Samuel's Offering at Mizpeh, for God to smite the Phillistines." Editor: It feels incredibly raw, almost violent. The darkness seems to swallow everything. Curator: Precisely. Note the texture achieved through the charcoal, how it articulates a sense of urgency and divine invocation. Corinth uses the very materiality to suggest a powerful, unseen force. Editor: The charcoal itself must have been quite coarse. The way it grabs the page, you can almost feel the artist's hand bearing down, struggling with the medium to convey the weight of the moment. Curator: Yes, the formal aspects reflect the intense religious drama. A compelling testament to the expressive capacity inherent in drawing. Editor: A reminder that even the simplest materials, in skilled hands, can speak volumes about faith, conflict, and the human condition.