New Year's Day 1901 c. 1900

Editor: Here we have Hans Thoma's "New Year's Day 1901," an ink drawing from around 1900, now residing at the Städel Museum. There's a really dreamlike quality to the scene. I'm particularly struck by the juxtaposition of the earthly figures within the cottage and the surreal elements above. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It tickles something deep inside, doesn't it? This isn’t just a New Year’s greeting, it’s a portal. See the hand descending from the clouds, quill pen in hand? Thoma’s inviting us, quite literally, to write ourselves into the narrative of the new century. And below, these cherubic figures sheltered beneath the eaves... Are they playing music? Perhaps serenading the arrival of the new age? I wonder... Do you feel a sense of optimism, or something more bittersweet? Editor: Bittersweet is a good way to describe it! There's almost a wistful quality despite the presence of those optimistic, cherubic figures you're talking about. And that rough, unfinished style—did that contribute to its feeling of immediacy? Curator: Absolutely. It's like catching a glimpse of a fleeting vision, isn't it? That raw, almost primal energy is what Thoma was so good at capturing. Think of it like sketching your hopes and fears on the back of an envelope just as the clock strikes twelve. There's a sense of possibility but also a fragility in it, as though these dreams could fade away as quickly as they appear. Editor: That makes perfect sense. I hadn't considered that idea about sketching out one's hopes at the New Year, and the image comes into sharper focus. Curator: Art does that, doesn’t it? Reframes what we already sense. Happy New Year indeed...even a century late!