Strauss 1965

Editor: This is Hannah Höch's "Strauss" from 1965. It’s a collage, and what immediately strikes me is how unsettling it is. The bouquet of eyes... it’s visually arresting, but also kind of creepy. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: The dynamism of its composition commands attention. Höch has expertly employed the principle of juxtaposition. Disparate elements—organic forms reminiscent of flora and fauna—are combined with a recurrent motif of the eye. Consider how the orientation of the gazes affects your reading of the surface plane. Editor: So you're focusing on the arrangement? How these separate parts come together? The way the eyes look, rather than...what they might mean? Curator: Precisely. Observe the calculated use of varying sizes and orientations of the eye motif. Does the work create a unified whole, or does it remain fractured, disparate? Notice the shapes, textures, and distribution. Do they generate visual harmony, or a calculated dissonance? Editor: I guess it's both harmonious and dissonant, depending on where your eye lands. There's a central form but it’s made up of fragmented images and colors. I find myself searching for a focal point, a sense of visual rest, and it's… not really there. It keeps moving. Curator: Indeed. The image resists a stable reading. That lack of resolution might, in fact, be central to the work's success. What conclusions might you draw about Hoch's methods from a formal reading? Editor: Well, I’m now looking more closely at the composition as a push-and-pull of different shapes that move my eye around a central form that doesn't exist. So it makes me think about how things don't always resolve into a neat, clear picture. Curator: A rewarding analysis. I too find fresh appreciation through our dialogue.