Paar, Ernst
Still life, 1943
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated lower right
45,5 x 60 cm
framed
The still life with mask, jug and fruit bowl is in a tradition of similar works by Max Beckmann or Alfred Wickenburg, in which the abandoned objects gain their own meaning and develop a life of their own. The impression is reinforced by the empty chair - the transience results from the strong reflections of the mask and melon in the brown pitcher. The work was created in 1943, shortly after a group exhibition of Paar's work at the Galerie Welz had to be closed as degenerate and shortly before he had to enlist for the Eastern Front. Clearly and also visibly an emotionally upsetting time, this manifests itself in every stroke of this work.
