The Faithful Eckart 2: The Satisfied Family 1924

Curator: Ernst Barlach's image, "The Faithful Eckart 2: The Satisfied Family," presents a tightly knit group. It evokes a sense of shared secret or hushed reverence. Editor: The heavy, almost crude lines forming the figures and objects really strike me. There's a starkness here, a sense of the weight of the materials used to create this print. I wonder about the labor involved. Curator: It's fascinating how Barlach uses the imagery of a family gathered around a table – a classic symbol of unity and nourishment – but renders it with such angularity and almost grotesque features. What cultural anxieties do you think he's channeling here? Editor: Perhaps anxieties about resource scarcity. The way they huddle, focused on the object at the table, suggests a deep reliance on it. It makes me think of the social realities influencing Barlach's practice. What was the role of family during this period? Curator: Indeed, the image becomes a potent meditation on the family unit as both a source of comfort and perhaps, a site of struggle, reflecting a broader societal context. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but now I'm considering the way materials and forms can speak volumes about our social structures.