Vogel und Floete 2014

Editor: So, this is Eckart Hahn's "Vogel und Floete," from 2014, created with acrylic paint. There's something haunting about it, the contrast between the bright bird and background against those almost black hands. It makes me wonder about the story here. What catches your eye when you look at this painting? Curator: Oh, the uncanny valley is calling! The way Hahn plays with realism and surrealism at the same time is compelling, almost unsettling. I find myself pondering the hands - they’re like figures from a dream. The weight they carry – not just the flute, but perhaps some unspoken narrative? And the bird... perched there like a vibrant interruption, or perhaps the true musician of the piece? Editor: Unspoken narrative... that’s beautiful. I hadn’t thought about the weight, literal or otherwise. Why those colors? And why a flute? Curator: Colors speak volumes, don't they? The ochre is nostalgic, conjuring up sunsets, aging photographs, a memory box of times gone by; it contrasts powerfully against the bird, so alive and vibrant with crimson red and brilliant melody! I almost feel the synesthesia happening: the music the hands are longing to create. Does that make any sense? Editor: It does! It's like the bird *is* the music. I'd been so focused on the darkness, the somber hands, but you're right. The colors, the flute, the bird... it's all about possibility. Maybe a sort of muted hopefulness? Curator: Exactly! Muted hopefulness! The world needs more of that. Sometimes the quietest notes resonate the loudest. Thanks for letting me think through it with you! Editor: Definitely. I will never look at a flute the same way again. Thanks!