Mindless Ballad (Stumpfsinnige Ballade) 1911

Curator: Today we’re examining Moriz Jung’s 1911 linocut print, “Mindless Ballad.” The Met houses this piece, and it exemplifies early Expressionist printmaking. Editor: Well, "mindless" seems about right! This is a riot of clashing colours and what looks like a drunken brawl rendered in a comic strip format. Is that…blood erupting from everywhere? It's both repulsive and oddly cartoonish. Curator: Indeed. Observe how Jung deploys stark, unmodulated colours and bold outlines, typical of linocuts, to intensify the violent narrative unfolding across the panels. The composition eschews naturalistic representation in favour of emotional impact. Editor: Emotional impact indeed. It hits you like a punch in the gut. The perspective's all wonky, and the figures are deliberately grotesque. I feel a sort of frenzied energy leaping off the print; this chaotic, slightly unhinged sensibility makes you ask yourself why is he going this far? Is this supposed to be humorous or a crude sort of anti-war statement? Curator: While direct interpretation remains speculative, Jung, aligning with the Expressionist ethos, likely sought to externalize inner turmoil through distorted figuration. Notice the textual elements. German words underneath each image suggesting commentary—perhaps a satirical counterpoint to the depicted carnage. Editor: So it’s an illustrated story gone wrong? Each scene becomes progressively gorier with our knight getting ever so close to death’s door… All fueled by copious amounts of booze! I feel that, the further I immerse myself in Jung’s narrative, a macabre humour rises. The exaggeration softens the grim events, even making them—dare I say—charming? Curator: Charm rests on the eye. This piece offers structural and emotional complexities warranting multiple analyses. Thank you for this intuitive insight. Editor: Indeed, for its apparent simplicity, “Mindless Ballad” resonates powerfully, challenging us to confront both the absurdity and the horror within. A delightful contradiction!