Golden Tree 2013

Curator: What strikes you first about this painting? Eckart Hahn’s "Golden Tree," created in 2013 with oil paint and gouache. Editor: The shine. That tree is trying desperately to signal wealth, or perhaps aspiration, but those flattened planes of gold feel like foil wrapping—almost cheap. Curator: Hahn's frequent use of avian imagery often alludes to freedom and constraint. What story do you think is at play with this specific iconography? Editor: The narrative is hard to ignore. A golden, manufactured-looking tree supports vivid, real birds. And below, on the bare floor, two dead birds… one mirroring the bright blue of its living counterpart. Are these wild creatures elevated or corrupted by this gilded perch? Is that what we're seeing? Curator: It's tempting to read into that juxtaposition. The golden tree, in that sense, becomes a symbol. It could be interpreted as a kind of false idol, a stand-in for capitalist excess, contrasted by the natural beauty and, ultimately, fragility represented by the birds. Editor: Or perhaps it is also speaking of the illusion of wealth? The materials chosen are important here; oil and gouache mimic the texture and sheen of gold leaf, but remain inherently deceptive. There’s no real intrinsic value. Just artifice. Curator: It feels both unsettling and strangely familiar. Those crumpled facets of "gold" almost evoke the discarded wrappers of chocolate coins, emptied of their promised richness. What resonates for you most, thinking about the image overall? Editor: It’s this deliberate play between high-end representation and cheap materiality. The way the dead birds call into question the price of our modern gilded cages. Curator: Yes, that contrast creates a kind of visual friction. Editor: Definitely food for thought. I am ready to see something else.