Der Hahn und der Fuchs 2019

Siegfried Zademack created this painting of a rooster and fox probably with oils. It’s quite an intense scene, with a rich, dark palette. I wonder what it was like for him, working on this piece, with the light emerging slowly from that darkness? I'm thinking about how the rooster perches high, puffed up with self-importance, and the fox looks up at him with those sly eyes, holding the scroll. The artist brings the fox into the light by placing him next to this big roll of paper; but that’s the point – painting is a tool! The layers of glazing give a haunting feeling like the artist is bringing something into being from a dream. I can see the painter's hand in that calculated composition, in the texture of the rooster's feathers, and even the strange dogs lurking on the horizon. It's all so figurative! We all learn from each other, you know? This painting seems to be speaking to a long history of fables and storytelling through images, and that’s how painting evolves, always in conversation, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling.