Kreuz und Quer, Erster Band

A lively tableau opens the volume, placing us in a cramped atelier on Leipzig’s Osterstraße, where the restless painter Ernst Tautenau is busy sketching a grotesque, larger‑than‑life figure on a freshly whitewashed wall. His creation—part faun, part devil, decked in wine‑leaf garlands and playing‑card epaulettes—quickly becomes a focal point for a witty exchange with his friend Frank, a burly man in a wide‑brimmed hat. Their banter reveals a satirical portrait of a local military figure, the Major von Reuhenfels, whose exaggerated likeness fuels both humor and a lingering unease.

Through sharp dialogue and vivid description, the story probes the thin line between artistic indulgence and personal obsession, as Ernst wrestles with the unsettling satisfaction of mocking a familiar face. The wall‑painting, still unfinished, hints at larger questions about identity, reputation, and the desire to capture—or distort—reality. Listeners will be drawn into the bustling atmosphere of 19th‑century German art life, awaiting how the sketch might affect the painter’s relationships and ambitions.