Romeo aus _Romeo und Julia_ c. 1869 - 1871

Victor Müller created this graphite drawing titled "Romeo aus _Romeo und Julia_," now housed in the Städel Museum. Müller, who was born in 1830, lived during a time of significant cultural and political transformation in Europe. This drawing captures a figure of Romeo, his head slightly bowed, as if burdened by the weight of his fate. The delicate lines sketch not just a character, but a profound sense of youthful despair, a feeling that transcends time and place. Müller, like many artists of his era, was deeply influenced by Romanticism, a movement that valued emotion and individualism, and the dramatic narrative of Shakespeare’s Romeo provided fertile ground for him. The sketch seems to ask, what does it mean to portray a character whose identity is so entwined with love and tragedy? Is it possible to convey the intense, all-consuming nature of young love, or the crushing despair of loss?