[Lyonel Feininger on beach, Rügen] 1905

Curator: This photograph, taken by Julia Feininger, captures Lyonel Feininger on Rügen beach. The print is modest in size. Editor: It’s quite striking. The inverted tones give it an otherworldly feel, like a memory or a dream. The figure, presumably Lyonel, has this almost ethereal quality. Curator: The inverted tones definitely add a layer of complexity, a reversal that plays with our perception. There's something haunting, almost ghostlike, about it. Editor: Precisely. And the hat, the coat… the figure looks like a wanderer, a flaneur stepping out of time. It reminds me of how artists often see themselves—traveling, observing, slightly apart. Curator: The boats in the background hint at journeys, both literal and metaphorical. Perhaps reflecting Feininger’s own artistic voyages. Editor: It seems to encapsulate that Romantic idea of the solitary figure against the vastness of nature. A small memento, rich with feeling.