Fegefeuer 2018

Siegfried Zademack made this painting, *Fegefeuer*, with oil on canvas. Look at that dark background and the eerie glow of candlelight. I imagine Zademack starting with a dark canvas, maybe even black, and building up these ghostly figures and lights layer by layer. You know, when I look at this, I think about all the painters who’ve tried to capture the uncanny. What was Zademack thinking? Maybe about rituals, or some kind of purgatory. The bodies are vulnerable, and the candles seem to reach up, like signals. The paint is smooth, almost polished, giving a dreamlike feel. It’s like he’s in conversation with painters from the past, those who delved into the subconscious. Each artist brings their own perspective, their own way of seeing, and together, they create this incredible, ongoing dialogue through paint.