17541 („Es ist ein altes Lied …“) 1932

Curator: Look at this intriguing piece by John Elsas, from 1932, housed right here at the Städel Museum. It's called "17541 (Es ist ein altes Lied…)", a combination of drawing, collage, and gouache. Quite a mix, right? Editor: Yes, a strange concoction! My first impression? Simultaneously melancholic and whimsical. That solitary figure on the pink platform seems to be both performing and protesting. The patchwork body suggests a fragmented identity. Curator: Precisely! Elsas blends abstraction with figuration, characteristic of Expressionism, and employs unconventional materials like paper and ink to construct this expressive character. Editor: It feels very much like an interwar statement. The textual fragment at the bottom--something about an old song and the difference between doing and saying—underlines the performative anxiety. Is the character speaking truth to power or merely acting a part? Curator: Perhaps it’s both? The materials themselves, the collage, speak to a piecing together of self, or nation, from disparate fragments in a fractured time. Editor: Indeed, and considering Elsas’ biography, as a Jewish artist working in Germany during the rise of Nazism, one wonders about the layers of coded messaging at play. The lone figure feels vulnerable but also defiant. The vibrant colors almost scream for attention amidst the impending darkness. Curator: There's an intentional rawness that really captivates, don't you think? It's not polished or refined; it's immediate, visceral. Editor: And intensely political, even in its apparent simplicity. Elsas prompts us to consider who is given a stage, whose voices are amplified, and the immense responsibility that comes with it. The stakes are high, which you can tell in its stark composition and vulnerable form. Curator: For me, this piece reminds us of the artist’s role, not as a passive observer but as an active participant. There’s power in its quiet assertion. Editor: Definitely. “Es ist ein altes Lied…” It might be an old song, but it continues to resonate powerfully today, challenging us to interrogate the structures of power and representation that shape our world. Thank you for walking me through this insightful work. Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Always something to find in these poignant images of expression.