Total Panic II 1937

Curator: Here we have Franz Roh's "Total Panic II," currently residing in the Tate Collections. My initial gut reaction? It's a fever dream rendered in monochrome. Editor: Agreed. Look at the detail in this engraving or etching – it's incredibly dense. The lines upon lines constructing this topsy-turvy circus scene… the labor! Curator: Exactly! The image feels chaotic, yet deliberate. An elephant with seemingly lifeless passengers, a bat-like creature, a giant snail… it is as if Roh is pulling imagery from the depths of the subconscious. Editor: And consider the social context! Printmaking made art accessible, reproducible. This "Total Panic" was likely circulated widely, bringing Roh's peculiar vision to a broader audience. Curator: There's a dark humor, a surreal theatricality. What kind of state would provoke such a vision from Roh? Editor: Well, given Roh's involvement with the New Objectivity movement, one could infer an element of social commentary in all of this chaos. A commentary on societal breakdown, perhaps? Curator: Perhaps. It all seems like an exquisite, albeit unnerving, dance between order and anarchy, painstakingly crafted. Editor: And that craftsmanship speaks volumes, doesn't it? The very act of making this offsets the panic it portrays.