Tavern Figure c. 1937

Editor: We're looking at "Tavern Figure," a drawing made around 1937 by Walter Hochstrasser. It's quite the character study – jolly and a little rough around the edges! What do you see in this portrait, that I might be missing? Curator: Well, first, he strikes me as delightfully human. Hochstrasser captures a certain…earthiness, wouldn’t you say? It's not just a face, but a whole story etched into skin and clothes. That grin, it’s mischievous, yet I wonder, what has he seen? Notice how his hands almost protectively cradle that foamy mug. What do you imagine he's thinking, just before taking a sip? Editor: That's interesting, the idea of protection. I initially just saw the humor in it, but you're right, there’s a possessiveness too. What about the artist? Anything particular about his technique or style here? Curator: His realism is…heightened, wouldn’t you agree? Look at the light playing on his cheek, how the colors seem both vivid and slightly…off. Perhaps that slight distortion mirrors the slightly inebriated reality the figure occupies? There’s also an awareness of art history here. Can you sense a touch of the Old Masters peeking through, almost a nod to genre painting traditions, but made new? What sort of a story is Hochstrasser trying to tell? Editor: A new perspective, indeed! I came in seeing a funny drawing, and I'm leaving with questions of stories, history, and… perhaps, the universality of wanting a good drink. Curator: Exactly! That's the power of art, isn't it? To shift your viewpoint, making you a detective of sorts. Hopefully, now our listeners have their own theories brewing.