Kasperltheater 1907

Hans Kalmsteiner made this small sheet, called “Kasperltheater”, probably around 1910. The forms have been cut out and laid down, or maybe it’s printed, so the layering is flat. I like the way the puppet master is all curves, leaning in, while the puppet is upright. This creates a nice tension between the two. The puppet master's energy is focused on the puppet, like a spotlight. The puppet has a different kind of presence. He sits still as though a performance is about to begin, and his gaze is fixed outward. The dark background isolates the puppet and the puppeteer, making the scene feel very focused. The puppet’s red trousers pop out from the rest of the composition. I imagine Kalmsteiner thinking about making a little world, stage set, maybe even thinking about the great tradition of puppetry and what it means to animate objects, to give them life. It’s like all artists, he’s also breathing life into flat surfaces, trying to make something move.