Der Junge mit der Lilie 1940

Curator: Here we have "The Boy with the Lily," a 1940 monotype and etching by Imre Reiner. What’s your immediate impression? Editor: There is a somber almost ghostly air surrounding him. I wonder about the socio-political situation from when the portrait came to be. Curator: Absolutely. Consider how Reiner rendered the composition, almost exclusively through the contrast of blacks and whites, with varied textural strokes to convey both shadow and light. The stark contrasts only add to that mood, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Undoubtedly. The work’s appearance prompts questions about innocence amidst wartime uncertainty, Reiner created the work in Switzerland having left Germany only seven years prior. Did he intend for it to express this tension? Curator: Interesting perspective. Notice how the figure is situated against a flattened, indeterminate space. Observe too the precise detail that defines the boy. Consider Reiner’s focus on line work and tone here, to generate the subject matter’s solemn attitude. Editor: I notice too, the single lily itself could represent both fragility and beauty. During the time Reiner completed "The Boy with the Lily," Switzerland was a neutral party amidst a European backdrop colored by both the rise of Nazism and the beginning of World War II. The imagery leaves one to consider youth confronting an increasingly corrupted world. Curator: It seems the semantic openness of art has permitted us both to see and reflect something novel in this particular rendering of Reiner's imagination. Editor: Indeed. The convergence of life and art continues to produce discussion.