Circus Rider 1921

Editor: This is Max Liebermann's "Circus Rider," housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a simple sketch, but the horse and rider really seem to leap off the page. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The sketch provides insights into the culture industry of Liebermann's time. Consider the materials, likely mass-produced paper and pencil, enabling wider access to art. What does this democratization of art materials suggest to you? Editor: That art was becoming more accessible to the masses, not just the elite? Curator: Precisely. And think about the subject: a circus. Popular entertainment, fueled by industrialization and consumerism. Liebermann is capturing a moment of leisure, of spectacle, produced and consumed by a rapidly changing society. It's exciting to think about! Editor: That definitely gives me a new perspective. Thanks!