Paradies II 2019

Eckart Hahn made this piece, Paradies II, with a very careful hand, layering realistic images over decorative patterns. The way he paints the birds in luminous yellow against these matte black shapes is so interesting. It’s as though he’s inviting us to notice the artificiality of the setup while also getting completely lost in the image. I love the texture of the wallpaper! The faded blue and brown floral patterns seem to belong to another era, a domestic interior disrupted by these geometric portals. Hahn isn't afraid to show the seams. Each bird is framed in a separate dimension, and then laid on top of each other. The careful brushstrokes that define each feather, especially the way the light seems to bounce off their surface, remind me a little of Walton Ford. In both artists, you see a real love for the materiality of paint, but there's also a sense of art being a conversation. We can see the conversation between Hahn, Ford, and even some earlier naturalists who captured birdlife with scientific precision.