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

Hans Thoma designed this ceiling painting for the Café Bauer, with motifs celebrating the month of May. Here we see cherubic figures, symbols of love and springtime, interwoven with flora and fauna. These motifs carry echoes of ancient Roman depictions of Cupid and Psyche, or putti amidst garlands. Note the artist’s rendering of these figures, which have a certain playful innocence. Their presence evokes an emotional resonance. This reflects a longing for a harmonious world. The cherubs are timeless motifs, appearing in Renaissance paintings as much as on modern-day greeting cards. They demonstrate how symbols adapt and transform across centuries. Observe how Thoma's work integrates traditional iconography with contemporary artistic sensibilities. This illustrates the cyclical nature of cultural memory, where images reappear, transformed yet familiar, engaging our collective subconscious.