Omslag voor abonnementsaanbieding voor Faust II 1925

Max Slevogt made this cover design for a Faust II subscription offer, but we don't know exactly when. It's all lines, like a spider web of marks. The word "Faust" is centered, surrounded by angels that almost feel menacing. Below, is a figure falling with a simple gesture, but it gives a sense of narrative. The texture of the paper comes through so clearly. You can really feel the surface Slevogt was working on. The lines are fragile and tentative, as if the image is about to disappear, like smoke. It’s like he's not trying to hide the process, but instead, reveling in the act of creation. It reminds me of the work of Alfred Kubin, who embraced the ghostly and grotesque in his drawings. Art, like life, is an ongoing conversation.