September. Design for a Ceiling Painting for the Café Bauer c. 1884

Hans Thoma designed this ceiling painting for the Café Bauer with pencil and watercolour on paper. The design presents a series of vignettes, predominantly featuring cherubic figures amidst clouds, all within a carefully structured geometric framework. This arrangement gives the artwork a sense of order and balance, with a muted palette lending it a serene, ethereal quality. The composition draws on elements of classical allegory, where cherubs often symbolize innocence and divine love. Thoma’s treatment invites us to consider how the artist integrates traditional symbols into a modern context, reflecting the café as a space for both leisure and intellectual exchange. The geometric divisions might be seen as a structural metaphor for the rational organization of modern life, juxtaposed with the fanciful imagery of cherubs and clouds. Consider how the formal structure—the interplay between geometric precision and organic forms—creates a dialogue that challenges fixed meanings. The work serves not just as decoration, but as a site of contemplation.