Untitled 

Curator: Welcome. Here we have an untitled print by Bernhard Hasler. It's quite intriguing. What's your first impression? Editor: Ethereal. It gives the impression of looking up into a swirl of cherubs in a Rococo ceiling painting, all sketched in a delicate, almost fading, manner. It looks old and full of joy, yet unfinished, and fleeting. Curator: It certainly evokes that sense of fleeting joy. And the technique – a form of printmaking – lends itself to that delicate, almost ephemeral quality. You see the subtle variations in line weight, likely achieved through layering or varying the pressure applied in the printing process. Each cherub a testament to labor. Editor: Yes, labor focused into representations of spiritual bliss. Note how the artist uses musical notation above, almost floating from the mouths of the cherubs themselves. Music, in a religious sense, symbolizes heavenly harmony. Curator: Precisely. I’m fascinated by the lack of clear date and context. It challenges the traditional art historical emphasis on placing objects within specific narratives. Its "Untitled" nature further complicates things; we're left to consider the sheer materiality of the piece, the process of its creation. Editor: The imagery resonates even without concrete details. Cherubs, classically associated with divine love and protection, serve as immediate visual cues for viewers. Regardless of background or knowledge. Curator: Perhaps the ambiguity encourages the viewer to complete the image themselves. We are each invited to invest the drawing with personal associations and interpretations. Editor: I agree. And look closely – these aren't static figures. Their postures and gestures, though rapid and implied, suggest movement and an engagement of love. Even if unfinished. Curator: It all hints towards larger themes of production, the physical act of creating something meaningful. Its open-ended nature speaks to the ever-changing cycles inherent in the art-making. Editor: Very true, a reminder that these classical and familiar images carry deep and resonant meanings for all, passed down from ages far before its actual creation. It is a fascinating connection to witness even in a simple work of labor. Curator: Yes, a captivating piece when we reflect on its own act of creating and material elements that give us this moment to understand these icons from a whole new perspective. Editor: Exactly! It feels as fresh as if were just made, despite resonating a long visual history.