The Elfin King 1 [Elfin King pursues father and son on horseback} 1924

Curator: Ernst Barlach, born in 1870, created this lithograph. It's called "The Elfin King I [Elfin King pursues father and son on horseback]". The design is about 10 by 8 inches. Editor: It feels like a nightmare pressing in. The darkness is so active, clawing at the figures. Is it meant to be frightening? Curator: Barlach's printmaking often draws on folklore, which, as you know, can be pretty unsettling. I'm thinking about the labor behind the lines, the process of creating the lithograph. How that intensity must translate. Editor: Yes, the density of marks, like a physical manifestation of terror. I can feel the artist wrestling with the stone, the pressure of history, myth, and personal demons all at once. Curator: The way he handles light, too, as if it's a tangible thing, almost a suffocating blanket. Editor: It makes you realize how even seemingly simple materials can carry such weight. The final print becomes more than just an image, it's a document of a struggle. Curator: Absolutely. It's that struggle, etched in ink, that keeps us looking. Editor: Exactly, I will not forget this one soon.