Puck mit Kleidung und in die Seite gestützten Armen von vorn sowie eine schwebende Elfe mit Kleid und ausgestreckten Armen, zwischen ihnen Blumenranken c. 1867 - 1868

This work by Paul Konewka at the Städel Museum presents us with a delicate pencil drawing of Puck and a floating Elf, intertwined with floral arabesques. The composition is arranged vertically with a clear hierarchy: Puck stands to the left, balanced by the elf on the right, while the floral elements create a central column linking the figures. The linearity of the drawing is striking. Konewka uses thin, precise lines to define the contours of the figures and the botanical forms. There is a visual dance between solid form and empty space. This interplay draws our eye through the composition. The drawing can be interpreted through the lens of structuralism, where the binary opposition of Puck and Elf is mediated by the unifying structure of nature. The visual elements can be read as signs within a larger semiotic system, reflecting the artist's engagement with the themes of nature and mythology. The tension between the defined and the implied invites us to actively participate in constructing the image's narrative.