Junges Mädchen mit langem Haar 

Curator: Standing before us, we have “Junges Mädchen mit langem Haar”, or “Young Girl with Long Hair”, currently held at the Städel Museum. It’s a pencil drawing on paper. Editor: There's a delicate sadness hanging about her, isn’t there? Almost like a silent film star caught between takes, with a soft, graphite grace. Curator: Indeed. There’s a definite pre-Raphaelite air. I’d posit that the artist, Philipp Winterwerb, engages a subtle historicism—invoking a visual language popular a generation prior, perhaps reflecting a societal fascination with feminine ideals and romanticized portraits. Editor: Mmhmm, that historical touch gives it layers. The hair, almost excessively cascading, feels both like a statement and a shroud, a way of concealing, not just revealing. Is she hiding, or inviting us in? Curator: That ambiguity, that very tension, speaks to the complex relationship between the artist and the representation of women within the artistic traditions of the time, especially considering Winterwerb was operating within a landscape dominated by established notions of beauty and feminine virtue. Editor: I can see that, and I'm really stuck by the pencil strokes – the detail in the hair is exquisite. But there's something unresolved in her expression. Curator: The raw, immediate nature of drawing lends itself to that feeling. The lack of color keeps our attention firmly on line and form, adding to that sense of introspective contemplation. It invites the viewer to consider what inner worlds she inhabits. Editor: Yes! And makes one wonder, what's going through *her* head as *we* look at her? Beautiful work. Curator: A worthwhile encounter, to be certain—one that provokes consideration of identity and perception in the evolving story of art.