Disziplin II 2017

Eckart Hahn made this painting, Disziplin II, with who-knows-what, but I'm guessing it's oil or acrylic on canvas, given the smoothness. The dog, standing on its front paws, doing the impossible, holding up that dark, looming shape. It's an odd image isn't it, rendered with meticulous care, almost photographically, against this completely flat background. You can see the texture of the canvas coming through, these subtle vertical lines behind the yellow. The dark circle hovers precariously, almost like a thought bubble, and the little triangle sitting above it feels like a strange addendum, or an after-thought. It reminds me a little bit of Magritte’s surreal juxtapositions, this ordinary dog in an impossible situation. The longer I look at the image, the less sure I am of its meaning, but I am sure that Hahn knows that ambiguity is a strength.