June. Design for a Ceiling Painting for the Café Bauer c. 1884

This is Hans Thoma’s design for a ceiling painting for the Café Bauer. Thoma was working in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at a time of rapid industrialization and social change. This piece offers us a glimpse into the cultural values and anxieties of the era. With its idealized cherubic figures and decorative motifs, the artwork is a meditation on innocence and beauty, perhaps as an antidote to the perceived harshness of modern life. However, the racial implications of cherubic figures cannot be ignored. They are overwhelmingly depicted as white, which reflects the period’s dominant, often exclusionary, ideals of beauty and purity. The inclusion of natural elements such as birds and floral designs evokes a sense of harmony with nature, but they also suggest a yearning for a simpler, more idyllic past. Thoma invites us to reflect on our relationship with nature, with each other, and on our dreams for the future.