Diary and Magpie 1978

Editor: This is Jörg Schmeisser’s "Diary and Magpie" from 1978, a mixed-media etching on paper. There's so much going on; it feels like I'm looking at someone's very complex, maybe even slightly surreal, personal map. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: Well, immediately, I'm drawn to the magpie itself. In many cultures, the magpie is a potent symbol, often linked to intelligence, trickery, and even theft. Consider its position, perched between the written word, seemingly a "diary," and the chaotic, dreamlike imagery on the right. What might the artist be suggesting about the nature of memory and experience? Editor: So, the magpie is a kind of translator, a bridge between the concrete, represented by the diary, and the abstract? And the imagery *is* quite striking - the dissected creatures, eyes watching… is it alluding to the dissecting of memories, analyzing the past? Curator: Precisely. The diary implies a record, a deliberate construction of the self. But the swirling, organic forms adjacent to it evoke something far less controlled. It makes me wonder about the places documented, like what looks to be the Dome of the Rock alongside landscapes, and how they figure into his internal iconography. Editor: Internal iconography? Curator: Yes. An icon isn’t just a pretty picture. Consider it a visual code, with each object loaded with personal and cultural significance. Those disembodied eyes for example; is he always being watched, maybe watched by himself? Or the turtle, what did turtles mean to Schmeisser? Editor: So the picture becomes like a puzzle of his psyche, with all of these symbols. This etching is so much more than just a pretty drawing; it feels deeply personal. Curator: It's a fascinating meditation on how we construct our identities through memory, and how our experiences transform into symbols over time. The journey of interpretation truly feels endless.