Studienblatt_ Figuren aus Shakespeares Sommernachtstraum c. 1867 - 1868

Editor: This drawing, “Studienblatt: Figuren aus Shakespeares Sommernachtstraum” by Paul Konewka, from around 1867, is just a flurry of pencil sketches! I’m immediately drawn to how it’s like a snapshot of imagination, capturing a whimsical moment from Shakespeare. What stands out to you in terms of its historical context or meaning? Curator: Well, seeing this through the lens of art history, it’s important to remember the 19th century's obsession with Shakespeare and Romanticism. The influence of literary works was so profound. This piece is German Romanticism grappling with British literary heritage, which then reinforces a social commentary. The German Romantics used art to search for national identity through folklore. What nationalistic connections might be made with a "foreign" writer? Editor: That's a really interesting point about the appropriation of Shakespeare to express a kind of cultural identity! It shows how culture and identity can shift so drastically depending on the context. So, Shakespeare in Germany means something entirely different than in England. What about the composition, with these tiny figures spread across the page, in relationship to popular trends in German art in general? Curator: It is fascinating, isn't it? Now consider that Shakespeare in Germany would not only have a different meaning than it does in England, but even in the very moment that Shakespeare's work was recontextualized it had a very different social importance and relevance in the regions of Germany that embraced it! I do wonder though, in this period, how was "art" functioning socially within these German contexts to allow for the promotion of some literary voices over others? Editor: Right, and the composition also lends itself to that interpretation because it isn't fully-fleshed. Thanks, that gave me a lot to consider! Curator: It's the socio-political that is truly on view, in even the incomplete-seeming! A pleasure to think it through with you.