Karnivor 2017

Eckart Hahn has created this curious drama with oil paint, where a panther, a bird, a turtle, and a red rope enter into a silent play. I find myself thinking about the moments before the Hahn put the first mark down – the possibilities. Hahn coaxes the image into being by applying thin layers of oil paint. The painting comes to life through a slow process of watching and responding to the emerging image. Hahn is in conversation with art history. The bird perched on the panther’s back makes me think about the tradition of animal painting and sculpture, but there is also something contemporary in the juxtaposition of a yellow tortoise with a black panther and an odd red rope, and a small white bird. We can sense the exchange between artist, medium, and image. We can sense the artist searching for a form that feels emotionally and intellectually true. The artist and viewer participate in a process of seeing, thinking, and experiencing. The end result is a painting that invites us to respond, reflect, and imagine.