Alter Mann, mit seinen Hände vor ihm auf dem Tisch liegende Geldmünzen schirmend, die gierigen Blicke zweier ihn umgebender Männer abwehrend 

Curator: Before us is a drawing housed in the Städel Museum. It's attributed to Victor Müller. The somewhat lengthy title translates to "Old Man, Shielding Coins Lying on the Table in Front of Him from the Greedy Looks of Two Men Surrounding Him." The medium is ink on paper. Editor: Whew, that title says it all, doesn't it? My gut reaction is one of discomfort. Those gazes are heavy, oppressive even in simple ink lines. Curator: Indeed. The composition reinforces that. The figures, clustered around the table, create a closed, almost claustrophobic space. Note how Müller employs hatching and cross-hatching to delineate depth and shadow, concentrating darkness around the looming figures of the two men. Editor: The hatching gives it this scratchy, unsettling feel. You've got the old guy almost skeletal, hands splayed over those coins for dear life! Then those vultures circling—are they relatives? Strangers? It’s so ambiguous, which amps up the anxiety. Curator: Ambiguity is key. The sketch isn't about precise representation; it explores themes of avarice and vulnerability. Consider the strategic use of line. Thin, tentative strokes define the old man, conveying frailty, while bolder, more assertive lines depict the other two, projecting a sense of threat. Editor: It's amazing how much story he manages to pack in with what, basically, are a few chicken scratches. It feels super immediate, almost like he dashed it off in a coffee house. I’m picturing him there, a dark comedy unfolding right before his eyes. Curator: The dynamism suggests that. Also notice the spare use of detail. Müller directs our attention where he intends – faces and hands. Editor: It's like stage direction – “Eyes here, folks! This is where the drama's at!” The drawing manages to capture such raw human… ugliness. Curator: A distillation, perhaps. Müller presents the primal drama of human desire stripped bare. A very intriguing piece when one considers the economic and social backdrop to artistic production. Editor: Right. It makes you wonder how many "Old Man and the Coins" dramas unfolded in the real world then… and how many continue to, even now.