A Vision 1923

Editor: This is Lovis Corinth's "A Vision," a large print, almost two feet wide, rendered in a scratchy, energetic style. There's a real sense of frenetic activity. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the materiality of the printmaking process itself. Consider the labor involved in creating this image, from the initial drawing to the etching and printing. How does that process inform the themes of fantasy and the underworld depicted? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn't thought about the labor involved. Curator: The rough, almost frantic lines could be seen as a reflection of the social anxieties of Corinth's time, rendered through the very physical act of creation. Editor: So, the process itself becomes part of the message? Curator: Precisely. Thinking about the material realities behind the image gives us a whole new way to approach its meaning. Editor: I'll definitely look at prints differently now! Thanks!