Apollo 1922

Editor: This is "Apollo," a drawing and print in graphite from 1922 by Willi Baumeister. The figure seems so still, composed of geometric shapes. There's something serene, almost unsettling about its simplicity. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Unsettling, yes! It's the kind of image that burrows into your subconscious. Baumeister, flirting with abstraction, reduces Apollo to these stark lines and shapes. Think of Bauhaus, how they sought to strip things down to their functional essence. It is more about the essence of form rather than replicating reality, like a coded message about the divine. Does it feel like a god, or something...else? Editor: I guess I don't immediately think “god.” Maybe an alien, now that you mention a message. I'm also wondering about the dots; are they representing stars or some other form of energy? Curator: Exactly! That's where it gets playful. The "Apollo" doesn’t shout its divinity. Those dots *could* be stars, a subtle nod to the cosmos, or pure decoration. The power here lies in the suggestion. And the dialogue it starts in your own head, right? Editor: Definitely. I appreciate the push-pull between something recognizable and something totally abstract. It’s thought-provoking. Curator: Art, I feel, should always prod, maybe poke, never leave you quite the same. Baumeister gives us a puzzle, a quiet one, that keeps whispering possibilities long after you’ve walked away.