Hammerstiel, Robert

Banat interior with half family and fruit, 2016 Oil on canvas Monogrammed lower right, signed, dated and titled in German and Serbian on verso 40 x 60 cm Memories of his youth in the Banat remain throughout his life the main source of inspiration for the motifs of his works, in which the feelings of displacement, deportation and uncertainty always resonate heavily. In this work, an elegant double play is created between an idyllic and playful still life and a play of people with the typical faceless figures gathered around the table as well as taking position in front of the window. As in Edward Hopper's work, the question arises as to what will happen in the next moment, which could immediately destroy the current idyll and the possibility of which is reinforced by color. All the painterly means employed reinforce this field of tension and yet the work radiates a positive underlying mood.