Flower 2018

Eckart Hahn made this painting, ‘Flower’, using oil on canvas. Looking at this red surface, I can imagine Eckart Hahn, brush in hand, building up the layers and finding that bird. What I mean is, this painting is so precise, and yet it also holds an element of surprise. A rope turns into a flower, only it’s also a rope—and then a bird lands on it. I love how Hahn makes something so specific, while playing with the idea of representation itself. The bird seems quite content perched atop the simulated rope. And the artist is playing a game with us. Are we to be fooled by representation? Maybe.